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The Houston Rockets wasted no time trading for Russell Westbrook, sending him to the Washington Wizards in exchange for John Wall. Could the Rockets try to surprise the NBA and move on with James Harden through the trade?
According to ESPN’s NBA Insiders, the Rockets don’t allow Harden to “just bully his way” to his preferred destination: the Brooklyn Nets. It will require a ‘king’s ransom’ on any potential business package with Harden.
With two guaranteed seasons remaining on his contract, Harden can’t just make his way to his desired destination of Brooklyn. The Rockets have made it clear that they would require a king ransom, starting with the cornerstone of a young franchise and a massive pick package, according to sources, in any potential deal for Harden. (Houston understood that Westbrook had much less market value and pounced when the asset of a protected first-round pick was attached to Wall.)
The Brooklyn Nets don’t appear to have any young franchise cornerstones and lack many intriguing assets from the NBA Draft, making them a difficult landing spot for Harden to imagine. A different team would apparently have to risk acquiring the NBA superstar.
The Rockets’ primary course of action remains clear: try to win with Harden and change their stance on wanting to be traded. There is a real risk with this strategy when you consider that both DeMarcus Cousins and Wall are coming from multiple season-ending injuries. Also, there are similar limitations on Wall’s skill set compared to Russell Westbrook.
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The best scenario for the Rockets is that Christian Wood steps in and has a big impact on James Harden. Additionally, ideally DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall would remain healthy and could regain most of their pre-injury form. For now, the results remain to be seen.
Navigating the near future could become a challenge for the Houston Rockets if things don’t go well early in the next NBA season. James Harden’s desire to be traded is already clear and he will only grow with possible shortcomings of a radically new team.
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