No It’s about the NBA rules of trading practically dollar for dollar. Do you not realize this? Get on a trade machine and try to trade Harden for two players making $30M and see if it works. $41M to $60M......using your logic it works, but not in the NBA
It all depends on how he’s behaving behind the scenes. Is he bonding with Wall? Does he show any sign of introspection regarding why the team isn’t built to his liking (his demand that they trade Paul for Westbrook)? If he doesn’t mature mentally and continues to be an ass off the court, then I lean toward trading him for a lot at the deadline. There will be teams - Philadelphia, Miami, Toronto, Denver - who will want to make a push once their place in the standings becomes clearer. Harden is a generational, all-time talent on the court. But his lack of leadership and self awareness always manifests itself in his interactions with teammates, his off-court childlessness (guys become less charming and more pathetic in the club every year they age) and his long list of playoff failures. It’s the latter that convinces me that, for the right offer, it’s time to move on. His disappearing acts in the playoffs and his refusal to adjust his game when opponents key into him during a 7-game series don’t give me any confidence that he can be the primary star on a championship winning team.
so the problem is not Harden's overpaid 40M salary he's actually best value for 40M that's why the Rockets can't let him go
I need said Harden was overpaid. I’m saying teams won’t gut their teams for Harden. Meaning quality equal value. Simmons and Seth Curry are not equal value. Give me Steph Curry and yes you got a deal. Harden is a perennial All Star, NBA leading scorer last season averaging 4 points higher than the next closest player Bradley Beal....Harden PER right now is 35.3.
Let the East play out more until somebody starts fading (or hurt) and gets desperate Harden is the only guy on the market that can singlehandedly swing a conference race Meantime ... Maybe he finally realizes this is the most talented Rockets roster he's ever had ..? Silas proves himself the Harden Whisperer ..? Stone turns EGo + PJ + House into another major addition ..?
Keep him around until he wins back the most threes made in a single game. Ideally you keep Harden around until his contract ends. Then you do a S&T, making another team pay for a declining all star.
At the latest, trade deadline. Would be foolish to keep him past then. A 32 year old Harden on the last year of his deal brings back a much worse offer than it does today. We lose all the leverage at that point. Also, an underrated aspect no one is considering is what’s happening with the Warriors and Wizards. Beal and Steph could very well be on the trade market soon, and that could impact the suitors on a Harden trade.
I haven’t deviated. He’s a phenomenal player and you keep him if you can. If not, get as much as you can and move forward. I’ll root for him wherever he goes whenever he’s not playing the Rockets. I feel like his 8 years here has earned him that respect. I don’t see the same vitriol towards guys like George Springer who is actually leaving Houston for more money.
There’s no stance to be had. Under contract and that’s all there is to it. As I said before the season, he’ll come around to the ego juice of winning and dominating with this team with these interesting skill sets he’s surrounded by. Rockets need to get bigger though. They need a big, athletic front court player. Could be any position. But someone good on defense and will help them against the Kawhi’s, Jokic’s, LeBron’s and AD’s of the world.
No Steph and Simmons for Harden...multi-team trade Philly would have to give me: Simmons ($30.6M), Thybulle ($2.7M), Maxey ($2.5M), Shake Milton ($1.7M), Korkmaz ($1.8M) if it works, if not cut Korkmaz........but you are also talking about the 76ers also giving me about 3 to 4 first round picks. Ergo, “gutting a team.” 76ers would have to find players to put around Embiid, Harden, Seth Curry, and Danny Green, Tobias Harris that are not currently working, in international leagues, or the G-league. Harden himself would say, nah, no thanks.
actually just Simmons + Thybulle + Maxey will get it done or you're not aware of that again not "gutting"
