Would you trade Harden and Capela for DeAndre Ayton, Devon Booker, and Tyler Johnson(Or Kelly Oubre Jr.)? Maybe throw in some picks as well.
Yeah I'd trade Harden for Booker alone, this team looks cooked and I don't see a path to a championship. I don't think Booker will ever be as good as Harden but he's still a 23 year old all-star level guard that will be great for the next decade.
If we are ever to contemplate trading Harden away it should be for an army of first round picks. This team is set up to collapse in a decade long era of darkness once Harden leaves his prime. We need high first round draft picks.
Who is this Wade Smith eggball idiot? What does he know about basketball? He plays that non-athletic sport like JJ FATT! Oh, he was an offensive lineman? He was probably fatter than JJ FATT! We don't care what he thinks.
Nothing less than what New Orleans(AD) and/or Oklahoma City(PG) got. Young players AND picks. Not trading him for a quick fix to become Phoenix Suns 2.0. Lonzo Ball Josh Hart Brandon Ingram 2019 1st round pick (#4) 2021 1st round pick 2023 1st round pick (swap) 2024 1st round pick (option to defer to 2025) Cash Danilo Gallinari Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2021 1st round draft pick 2022 1st round draft pick 2023 1st round draft pick (swap) 2023 1st round draft pick 2024 1st round draft pick 2025 1st round draft pick (swap) 2026 1st round draft pick
If we are gonna trade harden , prolly have to wait until offseason so teams can create a package I prolly wouldn’t trade James , think of what that will do to tilman’s revenue
A little non apples to apples though. Devin Booker is not offseason Ingram, who had blood clot issues on top of a slowly improving but nonetheless 18 points, 5 rebound guy with a 33% three point field goal %. He's an all-star now... but even still, not as good as Devin Booker. If there were no positions to the all star game, no way he'd have made it over Booker as a reserve. Devin Booker is having a somewhat crazy good season given his 63% efficiency. 27,4,6 on insanely good efficiency. He's basically having Harden's 23 year old season - his first in Houston - but slightly better. He's overshadowed by the Luka's/Trae's/Harden's/Giannis/Lebron's of the world... and admittedly, the Suns need to be better also on his 5th coach in 5 years on a team that drafted the likes of Dragan Bender and Josh Jackson and Alex Len and etc, etc. Basically they lucked into Booker because he was underscouted. Had they had a better pick that year they would have f'd it up. Obviously along the same vein, Ayton is REALLY solid, but another pick they "screwed up". HORRIBLE ORGANIZATION. Not that the Rockets are a shining beacon of a great organization at the moment. But Ayton is definitely solid. And only 21. And the Suns are I believe 9-8 this year when Ayton plays. Not amazing, but would put them at the 8th seed. OKC trade similar non apples to apples. SGA is the real prize there so far, and again when acquired there was expectation he would be better, and get better thereafter, but not this much better this quickly. What am I saying: Push for draft picks. or swaps. why not?!?!? But this would be a real tough deal to pass up if you think about it. It'd be like saying would you trade today Harden for 23 year old Harden and today Capela for 21 year old Capela much better at offense but not quite as good at defense but potential to get there. Isn't the answer to that yes? Thought of another way... I think the Rockets post this trade would be in a better immediate position than the Pelicans or Thunder. I'd put the Thunder 3rd despite their overperformance this year. CP3 and Gallinari aren't lasting years as they try and go from this to a contender. Probably more likely they get worse. Then they have to hope those picks are decent - which, they probably aren't that good given who they are from. Pelicans could be really good for sure, depends on Zion and the picks. Another point... whenever i was on the maybe trade Harden train in the past, if you brought up a return as young players and draft picks you'd get laughed at, because draft picks "are risky". Philly lucked out but look at the Suns, Magic, Knicks, Hornets, Kings, TWolves. Even with good picks, you still get stuck in lotto purgatory. I would have been ok with it, cause I was all-in on Luka like 3 years ago type thing. But now your saying young guys plus picks is better than young guys that are already really really good... Honestly I think the reality is this - the Suns say no to that at this point.
Well, I think AD & PG were different situations. Firstly, SGA and Ingram were good last year, but not nearly the level of Booker. Second, AD is 26, 2 way top 5 player, and PG had a career year, considered for MVP, 2 way player, and most importantly he wasn't just PG, it was PG and Leonard which meant Clips had no leverage. Overall, Lakers have LBJ, Clips had Leonard, those trades put them over the hump to be serious contenders. Harden to PHX wouldn't even make them better then the Rockets. Not saying I don't think Harden wouldn't demand a really, really good offer. I just wouldn't expect for a deal to turn out as good as those deals, considering SGA and Ingram made BIG jumps this year.
How many picks could they throw to make this trade even remotely equal value? Maybe Sarver has to throw the whole Suns organisation. And his pet goat.
Well like I already said above... ignoring the Clint for Ayton swap... Would you trade Harden, for 23 year old Harden but better?
Suns would definitely not trade Ayton straight up for Capela. Bear in mind, in the random trade thread, some are proposing trading Capela for the likes of Covington or Justice Winslow packages, lol. Obviously that isn't happening, but the Suns probably as for a pick with Capela to move Ayton, if they'd consider it at all. Still go ahead and ask for a pick...
Only for a boatload of picks please, No one will do that of course but that would be the optimal trade. As much as I fear Harden may be on the cusp of fading and I hate some aspects of his game A LOT, he is still worth too much at this point to the franchise to just dump for a prospect/lower level star and some filler players unless there are stupid picks involved !
