Would have been funny to watch the Media opinion flip on Harden overnight though. I would have enjoyed it just for that alone.
cmon maaaan "Hardens future in Houston seemed up in the air" ????? Fake sports. James is never going anywhere, he will retire a Rocket. To think that Bradley Beal was going to be the centerpiece for a Harden deal is absurd and disrespectful.
This writer was trying to hit a word count, guaranteed. The article said what it needed to, and then included another paragraph letting the BS flow freely.
https://usatftw.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/hakeem11.jpg?w=1000 Let's not get carried away... There'd have to be a lot more than Beal coming back for Harden to get moved, IMO.
What OKC got for PG probably was the greatest haul in NBA history. Even for Harden that would be a little tempting. Adding those assets to a full on tank commitment could set up a dynasty, though obviously there's a big gamble with where the picks land. I'm sure the Clips didn't come out offering that much though before Morey immediately shut them down. If Washington could have gotten something close to that haul for Beal they absolutely should have done it, though.
Yeah, well the article doesn't actually say that. Your reading comprehension is a little off. What it DOES says is "Harden's future in Houston seemed up in the air until the team's blockbuster acquisition of Russell Westbrook from Oklahoma City." If there actually was a "him or me" ultimatum, then that statement is accurate, because CP3's contract made him almost untradeable.. And before you argue about the validity of the ultimatum's existence, keep in mind that Morey traded one of the two key guys from a team that had wone more games over the last two regular seasons that anyone. So rather than try to add a piece or two to a squad that has done that well together, Morey dumps CP3 for a more expensive superstar whose style is anything but a guaranteed fit. To me, that says there was an ultimatum. Doesn't mean that James slammed his fist on the desk, but it seems pretty obvious he let Morey know that his on-court pairing with Chris had run its course and was likely to only get worse.
As someone that has been open to trading Harden, even I would say no. The Thunder DID get a record haul... but I'm still not super impressed by said haul because the odds of the picks being "great" aren't that high. 25% chance at best. When you have an owner like Ballmer, you can make the playoffs every year. While Presti should be able to make other moves by combining picks, or being able to trade a bunch of picks and not have to worry about pick trading in consecutive years rules, the best upside from the Thunder trade, at this point in time, is SGA (who I really like) and the potential for the Thunder to really suck, so their own pick ends up high in the lotto (but of course, as it stands now with CP3, Gallinari, Adams, SGA... they won't be bad enough). the "haul" wasn't as great for AD, but they got a guaranteed, right then and there, #4 pick. As someone else (or multiple) said, any trade with Harden needs to include at least a very close to all star level young, and a "guaranteed" near the top lotto pick. This is OBVIOUSLY not going to happen now, but had they gone into the season with Harden/CP3, let's say they were sitting maybe somewhere 5-8 near the trade deadline, but as close to 10 as to 1, then you might consider blowing it all up, trading him to NYK for RJ Barrett, Morris, Randle, and the 2020 and 22 first rounders.
I would’ve had interest if and only the clippers started with a package 2020-2033 unprotected 1st round picks. Rights to pick swap from 2033-2043 Bev Lou Harrell Shams 50 mil cash And 30% ownership of the clippers. Oh and 10% ownership in Microsoft
I can't imagine what they possibly thought they could have offered to actually make this deal work. It could make a great comedy sketch, though, as they up the ante into ever more absurd and darker offers while Morey continues to still say no.
Something like... Jerry West: "Daryl I'm calling to ask you if you would trade me James..." Morey: *clicks* Jerry West: "Hello?"
I'm guessing it was more just West contacting Morey and saying, "What would it take?" and Morey saying, "More than have." The interesting thing was that there was an attempt, despite it never gaining any traction.
Not surprised that the Rockets wouldn't entertain that craziness. However, the Wizards absolutely should have. They're in cap hell and won't be able to build around Beal so long as they have Wall on the roster. Wall is completely untradeable without sending A LOT of picks to some rebuilding team in exchange for absorbing his salary. Worst case scenario if they traded Beal to the Clippers for the package the Thunder got for Paul George they'd add SGA and be able to take those four picks and send them to some rebuilding team with cap room to be rid of Wall and now they're suddenly in a better position to rebuild. I'll never understand that franchise.
