John Granato: Raptors & Celtics favorites to land James Harden

Reading some Toronto and Boston boards and their fans don’t want Harden due to age, attitude, and style of play. Most describe him as destroying their culture and chemistry.

Just watch we trade Harden and this is the season LBJ and Kawhi get hurt. Then the Nuggets or Heat sneak in for the title while Harden is in Philly and both the Sixers and Rockets are 2nd round exits.....

 

Solution: Don't trade Harden! (I am still holding out faint hope...)

 

he has a lot of hype after his play in the Bubble...if he played at his regular level at Disney or goes back to his regular level of play this season, he won’t be seen as so untouchable

if they add Harden to a core of Murray, Milsap, and Jokic, then they become the 2nd best team in the league immediately IMO and could definitely beat the Lakers

 

Porter junior has superstar type potential but having a bad back at his age is scary.

 

https://tradenba.com/trades/GFISqlf0W

 

Porter Jr. has a lot of talent, and I agree that he is a good candidate to develop into at least a consistent all-star-caliber player, if not more. That still doesn’t change the fact he has not done enough at the NBA level to headline a trade for a top-3 overall player like James Harden. He can be part of the trade, but not the best asset coming back.

 

To help you get it...just take a moment and consider how #Tilman thinks. That should help matters.

 

Right, but all they know is what they read in news paper articles or from ESPN.

Harden isn't going to destroy anyone's culture..... I get that he is over 30, but the reality is that at 35 Harden will be better than the players being linked to Harden in trades while in their prime. Harden has never really been an injury risk and his game is not like Westbrook's, he can still score 25+ points a game at 35 years old most likely.

 

When ch44 says Boston is a viable option, I’m curious tho, is that for Houston or is there actual interest and dialogue from Boston that’s reciprocated? from everything I’m hearing from some Boston guys, Boston is out and there won’t be a deal made. Sucks but I’m curious if ch44 can verify there’s interest from both sides or confirm granato’s tweet.

its obvious Houston would have interest in brown, if no Simmons obviously. The million dollar question is, is interest mutual on BOTH sides

 

I would do this deal in a heart beat.
Let's us start fresh and gives us youth

 

If the Rockets trade James Harden with two years remaining on his current super max contract for a package headlined by Michael Porter, Jr., I’ll be pissed. Does Porter have a lot of talent? Yes. Could he become a consistent all-star-caliber player, if not more? Yes. Is he on a cheap rookie deal? Yes. Has he shown enough at the NBA level to warrant being the best piece coming back in a James Harden trade, absolutely not. He can be a part of the trade, but not the best asset coming back to the Rockets.

If Tilman Fertitta goes the cheapest route instead of getting the best return for a top-3 overall NBA player in his prime, he can go to hell as far as this Rockets’ fan is concerned.

 

Outside of Rockets media, Harden's style of play is not very well received.

 

I love Harden, BUT. . . .
Note that his career minutes played is already pretty high.

Minutes Leaders (Active)
1. Lebron
2. Pau Gasol
3. Carmelo
4. Jamal Crawford
5. Andre Igoudala
6. Dwight Howard
7. Chris Paul
8. LaMarcus Aldridge
9. Trevor Ariza
10. Rudy Gay
11. Kevin Durant
12. Kyle Korver
13. Russell Westbrook
14. Thaddeus Young
15. Paul Milsap
16. Kyle Lowry
17. Raymond Felton
18. James Harden
https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/mp_career.html

Most of these guys count as old. After two more season, in Harden's option year, some of these guys will be retired.
In the fourth and fifth seasons from now, Harden getting $50 mill/season . . . good deal for him.

 

Agreed - a bad back almost always means the player will stop driving in order to avoid contact and will devolve into strictly an outside shooter. There are numerous examples of this and we even had one on our team (McGrady). Players with bad backs have short NBA careers and even shorter periods of high productivity.

if there is a third team that we can flip MPJ to in return for a good, healthy player, then it makes sense to get him in a trade. Otherwise, stay away.

 

Not so sure..... depends on the other players that the Rockets have as possible trade choices AND how risk adverse the Rockets are. The hardest thing to get in the NBA is a true franchise player, and Porter is one of a very very small amount of young players available with that possible upside.

Consider that in only 17 minutes a game last year that Porter shot 45% on 3's with 3 a game, scored 9.3 points and nearly 5 rebounds a game..... As a starter he averaged 22/8/1/1

It certainly is a risk but he also is on a rookie contract.

Would you do a Harris/Barton/Porter/Hampton/#1 pick for Harden/McLemore deal?

Then spin Harris or Barton to a third team?

 

The Celtics HAVE spoken to the Rockets about James Harden and they have interest.

 

You mean the media and fans? Yes, basketball front offices? That isn't the case at all.

 

Why in the world would the Nuggets deal the main piece in the deal and not get James Harden?

 

Maybe because of the fit, Porter is a scorer, a guy who needs touches and isn't exactly a defender (small sample, but in preseason he didn't play really well in the starting lineup, he did when he got to come out of the bench again), and since Denver doesn't really need a scorer having Jokic and Murray, they might like the idea of getting a great defender like Brown.

 

Didn't Granato break the story that Randy Johnson was Astros-bound?