Rockets trade: James Harden Bulls trade: Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, Coby White, Tomas Satoransky Rockets trade: Russell Westbrook Knicks trade: RJ Barrett, Wayne Ellington, Raj Gibson, Elfrid Payton, Frank Ntilikina 1) Coby White / Tomas Satoransky 2) Zach LaVine / Wayne Ellington 3) RJ Barrett / Gerald Green 4) Robert Covington / PJ Tucker 5) Lauri Markkanen / Taj Gibson
I hope Tilman and this organization treats Harden better by trading him to an actual contending team so that he can get a ring.
What contending teams do you have in mind? Miami doesn't have the contracts. Maybe Milwaukee? Harden for Middleton and Lopez works but Middleton's contract isn't exactly great.
I'd trade him to Brooklyn just so we can recoup draft capital that was lost in the Westbrook trade, even if it's low picks. We also would net a package of something like LeVert, Allen, Dinwiddie...good role players on reasonable contracts similar to how Morey kept stacking the chips after the Yao/TMac era in hopes to cash out on a future franchise player. I am perfectly fine with tearing this team down completely (e.g. not getting back an All Star player in return for Harden) and suck for the next 3-4 years if it means we can stockpile picks.
I like it. Definitely seems possible. Maybe the best way to salvage the coming seasons would be to trade Westbrook only though. Westbrook for Paul George? 1) James Harden 2) Paul George 3) Robert Covington 4) PJ Tucker 5) FA Center Harden back in his most effective role and looks like a solid defensive team.
Well that becomes a different conversation from my tear down response. If we're wanting to salvage the next few seasons while Harden is still under contract we will have to trade everyone on this team save for Harden and maybe Covington. While PJ is invaluable to our team's defense he's older and is in need of an new contract. Of course we're not going to be able to get fair return value for PJ but packaging him and Gordon for, say, Gordon Hayward, who also comes off the books after next season at $34 million? Now you focus on moving Russ to fill out the rest of the holes. If this were the early 2000s a trade of Westbrook to New York would have been pretty much a sure thing. Maybe they will be interested seeing how they can absorb Westbrook's contract outright. But maybe we move him to the Knicks for one of either Randle or Portis plus a future 1st and 2nd rounder? Well, at least a 1st Rounder with protection. In my imaginary world, maybe we can convince Aron Baynes to sign a 2-3 year deal with us for the MLE to be our starting center. Now you have a potential starting lineup of: Harden Hayward Covington Portis Baynes You now have a starting lineup of players that all shot over 35% from 3 last year and you have an opportunity to evaluate how Hayward and Portis fit with Harden over the course of the 20/21 season. If both don't work out, they come off the books to the tune of $50 million in the summer of 2021. Now you are in a situation where you can be players in the free agent market and offer a sizeable contract to a player for 2-3 years to match Harden's last year with Houston.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/pistonpowered.com/2020/09/22/detroit-pistons-westbrook-trade/amp/ Can’t say I would balk at either offer although I would prefer acquiring Wood + lower 1st round picks Harden, Gordon, Covington, Tucker, Wood starting lineup is strong.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...ng-assets-could-lead-to-a-james-harden-trade/ Eric Gordon A mediocre 2021 first-round pick alone is not going to be enough to dislodge Gordon from Houston's books. If the Rockets are going to trade him, they are going to have to do it with the understanding that they are taking back a similarly harmful contract. So where are they finding such a deal? Among cheaper ones than Gordon's, the pickings are slim. A couple of candidates come to mind. Jeremy Lamb is owed $21 million over the next two seasons but is coming back from both a torn ACL and a torn meniscus. The odds of him contributing next season aren't great. Perhaps some draft capital and the appeal of a healthier Gordon would entice the Pacers into taking on the extra $34 million in guaranteed money, but it's unlikely. Like Fertitta, Pacers owner Herb Simon (who owns malls) has been hit hard by the pandemic. The Magic are in a somewhat similar situation with Al-Farouq Aminu. He is coming off of a torn meniscus and is owed around $20 million for the next two seasons. Orlando has been desperate for guard help for years, and D.J. Augustin is a free agent. Gordon could replace him, and if you factor in the cost of retaining Augustin, the short-term cost wouldn't be too different. Still, the Magic are close to the tax line as is, so their preference would probably involve a cheaper replacement in free agency should they lose Augustin. The Nets are in win-now mode, and D'Antoni has been rumored as a possible addition to their coaching staff. Joe Tsai is worth $13 billion, so short-term cash flow isn't a concern, and if Joe Harris leaves in free agency, Brooklyn might be in the market for another shooting guard. Taurean Prince is owed almost $29 million over the next two seasons. The Nets wouldn't mind dealing him or getting another draft pick to use in trade talks for a third star elsewhere. Still, this relies on Harris leaving, which isn't likely. Otherwise, there just aren't minutes here. There is another path Houston could take, though. The Rockets could try to package Gordon with one of their shinier assets to get back a value that might be slightly cheaper in the aggregate. With McNair in Sacramento, it might be worth asking about Buddy Hield, who is apparently no longer on speaking terms with coach Luke Walton, or Harrison Barnes, who is on a similarly brutal contract. Gordon and Covington for Hield would save the Rockets around $4.5 million immediately and give them one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA. A similar deal for Barnes would save them $6.7 million, and while he is an inferior player to Covington, he could occupy a similar role as a small-ball power forward. Both deals would make the Rockets worse defensively and create long-term obligations but would give them some immediate relief and get rid of Gordon, who may simply be a negative-value player right now. If we want to get truly wild, Houston could seek out one of the only worse contracts than Gordon's. Philadelphia might actually value him as a guard that create and shoot. They also have a younger facsimile of Covington in Matisse Thybulle. So what about Horford and Thybulle for Gordon, Convington and Danuel House? The Rockets abandon their small-ball dreams and add the perfect center for a shoot-and-switch scheme while also getting a long-term Covington replacement. Philly gets an immediate upgrade on Thybulle and two shooters. Houston probably says no to this, but the deal has its merits. Horford's value, limited as it may be at his age, was obscured by Joel Embiid. At center, he remains a solid player. And that's basically it. Names like Kevin Love and Blake Griffin should show up on the bad contract radar, but both cost too much to make sense for Houston right now. If Houston is desperate to move Gordon now, something along these lines is what will likely be available. Russell Westbrook If you thought moving Gordon was tough, wait until you see Westbrook's contract. He is 31, coming off of his worst postseason as a professional, relies heavily on athleticism and is owed over $130 million for the next three seasons. It would take a truly desperate team to absorb that deal. The Knicks usually fit that bill, and sure enough, they've been linked to Westbrook. Beyond them? Finding a suitor is nearly impossible. Teams like Orlando and Charlotte might be interested in him as a box office draw in a normal year, but there might not be a box office at all this season, and both have younger ball-handlers they've invested in. The bad contract brigade is out as well. Cleveland just used back-to-back lottery picks on point guards. Love for Westbrook hampers their development. The 76ers aren't bringing in another non-shooter, even if it gets them off of Horford. The Pistons don't have a long-term point guard, but might draft one in November, and Griffin's contract is a year shorter. Westbrook's shooting makes him unappealing to contenders. His ball-dominance will turn away rebuilding teams as well, and may even knock the Knicks out of contention. Why should RJ Barrett spend his formative years watching Russ dribble? Houston's best chance at moving Westbrook, frankly, would be through the leverage of a Harden deal. James Harden A Harden deal, should one come at all, would be likeliest either at the 2021 deadline or during the 2021 offseason. By then, the Rockets will have a clear idea of whether or not contention with him is at all possible anymore. But by holding him that long, they risk watching his value decline. Harden is 31 and has a contract similar to Westbrook's. He's a top-10 player right now. That may not be true in six months. Dealing Harden now would at least give the Rockets a chance to keep a top-four pick in 2021. It would also allow them to trade Covington and Tucker at the peak of their value, guilt-free, and kick off a true rebuild. With that in mind, it's worth exploring what an immediate Harden trade might look like. The Rockets would likely set a price tag somewhere in the neighborhood of what Oklahoma City got for Paul George. There are 10 teams that make any degree of sense right now: Philadelphia could offer Ben Simmons, Thybulle and draft picks. The Harden-Embiid combination would be one of the NBA's most potent and potentially get the 76ers back into true contention. Boston could build a package around Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward's expiring contract and picks, and could theoretically take Gordon back as well. Miami is always star-hunting, and while 2021 free agency makes far more sense for the Heat, an offer built around Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson would get them to the table. Including Bam Adebayo might seal the deal, but the Heat aren't nearly desperate enough to do so at this juncture. They just made the Finals without Harden, after all. Toronto watched Kawhi Leonard leave because he preferred Paul George as a sidekick to Pascal Siakam. If the Raptors want a star, flipping Siakam for a better recruiter in Harden might help them do so. If the Knicks are interested in Westbrook, they're interested in Harden. Barrett and Mitchell Robinson may not be Harden-worthy, but the Knicks have all of their own first-round picks, two from Dallas and another from the Clippers. They could overwhelm Houston with draft assets. The Bulls are stuck on the hamster wheel of mediocrity. Harden could get them off of it, especially if Anthony Davis ever has any interest in returning to his hometown team. For whatever this is worth, the Clippers tried to trade for Harden before landing George. If there is a way for them to flip George for Harden now, they're likely exploring it. San Antonio, like Chicago, is trapped in mediocrity right now. They also have all of their own picks to offer as well as a deep stable of good-but-not-great youngsters. Gregg Popovich deserves one last shot with a superstar. DeMar DeRozan's expiring contract could serve as salary ballast if he opts in. Rosas, a former Rockets executive, now runs the Timberwolves. He already made a trade with Houston at the deadline (for Covington), and could send a young All-Star in D'Angelo Russell to the Rockets alongside D'Angelo Russell in order to pair Harden with Karl-Anthony Towns. The Warriors probably wouldn't break up the Splash Brothers, but just imagine what a Harden-Stephen Curry duo could do offensively. Klay Thompson could net Golden State assets to send back to Houston in addition to the No. 2 pick and the valuable Timberwolves pick they acquired in February. Don't expect Harden to be traded this offseason. All indications suggest that Houston wants to take one more run at this. But if a deal ever comes, one of these teams will probably be at the front of the line.
Add Nerlens Noel or Aron Baynes with MLE. Harden Gordon/Nwaba PG13 RoCo/Tucker Noel Morey tried to aquire Noel last season allegedly.
Signing a Noel/Baynes type might be the most important move of the offseason. I love Capela but Baynes might be an upgrade considering his three point shot. Would be a huge get. Trading Harden shouldn't even be a thought honestly. He's a legend and he should retire in Houston. He would have to demand a trade for us to seriously consider trading him, in my opinion. Getting a starter AND a first round pick for Westbrook would be huge. Gotta restock those draft assets. Honestly though I can see Houston giving the Westbrook experiment one more year. Considering how well he was playing before the stoppage it might actually be a good idea. Give it one full season without a stoppage... but either way, in Rafael we trust.
If Olynyk opts in to his final year; then a deal can be worked out. If he doesn’t, they don’t have the contracts. You’re right. A deal would have to look like: HOU: Nunn, Robinson, Herro, Igoudala, and Olynyk plus whatever draft picks MIA: Harden
https://sircharlesincharge.com/2020/09/13/brooklyn-nets-trade-packages-beal-harden/4/ If i was Gm, im all over this above trade and Signing Kenny Atkinson. That team alone beat Harden team last year with kenny atkinson in 2019 with 141-140 OT Win in game where harden scored like 50 something points. Let Westbrook go to Knicks. Maybe keep Gordon to have the joe harris factor with those 4 incoming players. Rockets would look good with picks and young team. Nets are in win now mode. Add Harden to Durant + Kyrie. You could probably throw them tucker, house, whatever they want just so the rockets could rebuild with kenny old team before Durant booted him. Nets would win mulitple titles, rockets would be neat playoff team with a future outlook and young coach and lots of picks.
Trading Harden for the perfect combination of role players if only we still had Harden lol. It's really too bad Westbrook's trade value is so low right now and we couldn't trade him for a package like that. Probably could've if it wasn't for the Playoffs.
Probably. You’re never going to get a player the caliber of Harden once you trade him away. That rarely happens. It’s a start of a rebuilding process. Hopefully it doesn’t come to the point where Harden asks for a trade. Unfortunately, I think it’s headed that way.
Just remember the season where Harden led in assists and it was Dantonis 1st season as the coach. The second best player we had was between EG/Lou, midway through the deadline. We were damn good. I would not mind a rebuild, i would want for James to win a ring. Anything goes as long as Im a Rocket fan. Amidst this trade talks that have been brewing, I would be in awe if Harden still chooses us rather than chasing rings or forming super teams. That 2018 roster, the league didnt see us as an automatic finals contenders or a super team. We were just right in the middle of that. I bet russ will go first than harden
Fixed MLE for Aron Baynes. Harden/Gordon/Nunn Herro/Iggy/McLemore Robinson/Nwaba/House RoCo/PJ Baynes/Olynyk This is a true 5 out system with motion and ability to play switch everything D for limited time and/or 2-3 zone/wall defense. Would still seek to trade House/McLemore for player like Bamba.
I think right now WB is a negative asset. You might be able to get him to a team like the Knicks but I don’t think the Heat do that trade. If you’re trading WB to the Knicks you’re getting guys like Ellington, Payton, maybe Julius Randle/Taj Gibson, and maybe Dennis Smith Jr plus a draft pick or two.
