1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

Today's Hot Take: Trade Jalen Green for James Harden

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by shakes05, May 8, 2025.

Page 1 of 4
  1. shakes05

    shakes05 Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2007
    Messages:
    675
    Likes Received:
    452
    Hear me out on this...we're essentially one player away from being a solidified championship contender.
    Of the players we've been campaigning to trade for, such as KD and Giannis, we'll have to trade some of our core players to execute a trade. Of course, for the right deal we'll trade for KD or Giannis before Harden.
    However, after observing our playoff performance, there is a consensus that we agree Jalen Green is not that guy or the go-to guy we want him to be... Actually, we just needed him to be average, but 4 years of data proves he will continue to be inconsistent.
    Bringing James Harden back to Houston will have him in a different situation than years past where he can be our 3rd option to help facilitate our offense and not needing him to be Alpha Dog on this team. The first year with CP3, we had the number 1 record in the NBA and one of the top defenses in the league!
    He would play well with FVV in the backcourt and help Sengun get easier looks in pick-n-roll situations. If they try to blitz Harden like they did Jalen Green, he would make them pay...he averaged 9 assists in the 1st round against the Nuggets.
    I would still say trading for Booker, Giannis, and KD should be our front office top priorities this off-season, but if the price tag is too high then Harden could be a safe pivot for us...also, keeping Jalen Green is a high price tag for us as well in terms of return in investment on what we expect from him.
    Thoughts?
     
    #1 shakes05, May 8, 2025
  2. Jontro

    Jontro Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2010
    Messages:
    36,174
    Likes Received:
    25,173
    #2 Jontro, May 8, 2025
    Easy, luckyman76, chef0010 and 1 other person like this.
  3. 9baller

    9baller Member

    Joined:
    Apr 17, 2013
    Messages:
    1,097
    Likes Received:
    1,568
     
    #3 9baller, May 8, 2025
    Jontro and shakes05 like this.
  4. HoustonSportsAddict

    HoustonSportsAddict Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2024
    Messages:
    1,291
    Likes Received:
    2,184
    You've gone too far. If I have to watch any more Harden game 7 performances ill have a stroke.

    If I remember correctly Ime specifically did not want Harden over FVV in the offseason. He told Stone to not sign Harden at all cost.
     
    #4 HoustonSportsAddict, May 8, 2025
    IvanLCPM, Arnel, saleem and 9 others like this.
  5. IA Rocket

    IA Rocket Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 1999
    Messages:
    29
    Likes Received:
    11
    As we know, Harden never shows up in game 7's. We'd have to be good enough to beat everyone in 6 or fewer. Of course, Harden showing up for 6 of 7 is better than Jalen showing up for 1 out of 7.
     
    #5 IA Rocket, May 8, 2025
    BHannes2BHonest, maw7079, YI89 and 1 other person like this.
  6. OremLK

    OremLK Member

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2010
    Messages:
    19,907
    Likes Received:
    17,390
    I think he would just hold back our ability to develop Amen properly, to be honest. He's not as ball-dominant as he used to be, but he still wants the ball in his hands a LOT, and he likes to play slow. Plus, he'll be 36 when next season starts.

    I still think the only way we see James in a Houston Rockets uniform again is as a bench veteran giving a farewell tour. He's not quite there yet, give it another year or two.

    Here would be my possible trade targets (that might actually be available) if we decide to move on from Jalen, in no particular order:
    • Coby White
    • Collin Sexton
    • Tyler Herro
    • Austin Reaves
    • Trae Young
    • Desmond Bane
    • Malik Beasley (sign-and-trade)
    • Jaden Ivey
    • Quentin Grimes (sign-and-trade)
    Two things all of these guys have in common: They're all under age 30, and they can all shoot better than anybody on our current roster (possible exception: Dillon Brooks, if you think his true talent level is actually 40% from three on 6 attempts per game, which I don't).

    Edit: Forgot Quentin Grimes, he should be on there too.
     
    #6 OremLK, May 8, 2025
    maw7079, Akim523, xaos and 5 others like this.
  7. Sanctity

    Sanctity Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2019
    Messages:
    2,362
    Likes Received:
    1,721
    Have you seen cut footage of Harden on Saturday, wide eyed, having an epifame of himself? It's like he was cursed to fail in the Playoffs and there's nothing he could do to help himself. He got 13 assists and he's playing with Kawhi Leonard at maximum health. There's nothing he can do here. Ship has sailed.
     
    #7 Sanctity, May 8, 2025
    Arnel, saleem and OremLK like this.
  8. shakes05

    shakes05 Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2007
    Messages:
    675
    Likes Received:
    452
    First, if he's brought back we don't need him to be Alpha for us. I trust him in key situations over Jalen Green...2017-18 we were robbed game 7 against the Warriors! The refs dictated that game, not putting that on James Harden.
    Secondly, the reason we didn't sign James Harden was to evaluate Jalen Green. We wanted to see if he could handle the role of being our star. The verdict is in and he's not that guy!
    We signed FVV because he's not an Alpha type of player, but he's a great role player that we overpaid to help with Jalen Green's development in the backcourt.
    James Harden saved the Clippers season, kept them relevant until Kawhi came back.
    Harden comes back to Houston with this core we have, we'll be top 3 again in the West.
     
    #8 shakes05, May 8, 2025
  9. JHarden713

    JHarden713 Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2014
    Messages:
    2,622
    Likes Received:
    1,048
    Nope

    Pass
     
    #9 JHarden713, May 8, 2025
    Arnel and mikol13 like this.
  10. raining threes

    raining threes Member

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2008
    Messages:
    18,096
    Likes Received:
    13,007
    Loser for loser deal.
     
    #10 raining threes, May 8, 2025
  11. shakes05

    shakes05 Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2007
    Messages:
    675
    Likes Received:
    452
    In those situations, he was the go-to player...Harden doesn't have to be that player if he comes back if we keep our current roster as is minus Jalen Green....Harden would help elevate Sengun's game...talking about spacing, if you blitz Harden, he'll find the open man. I'd you go over the screen, step back 3 coming. If you go under the screen, he's driving to the basket. Jalen struggled in those situations for 4 years. Just saying we know what we'll get from Harden and our offensive system sucks!
    Harden is the system lol
     
    #11 shakes05, May 8, 2025
  12. DaDakota

    DaDakota Rockets forever!
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 1999
    Messages:
    128,140
    Likes Received:
    38,335
    No, stop pining for Harden, the guy will never win ****, he has the same anti-big game gene as Jalen.

    FFS people aim higher.

    DD
     
    #12 DaDakota, May 8, 2025
    roxallways, evo8lover, pm713 and 1 other person like this.
  13. Aruba77

    Aruba77 Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 1999
    Messages:
    15,105
    Likes Received:
    18,094
    I think Harden fits what we need: shooting, ball handling, passing, facilitation, self creation, etc. The best thing though is we don’t have to trade Jalen to get him. If he declines his player option we can sign him to a 2-yr deal using Fred’s option and a modest asset as the trade/salary capital. Harden is a huge upgrade on Fred and if we can’t find a better, younger fit, this would be a better backup plan than resigning Fred.
     
    #13 Aruba77, May 8, 2025
    fckbandwagons likes this.
  14. HoustonSportsAddict

    HoustonSportsAddict Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2024
    Messages:
    1,291
    Likes Received:
    2,184
    You know I usually agree with you but he put up 7 points in game 7 just a few days ago. He looked just as bad as Jalen Green. Harden is also shooting sub 32% on three pointers in the playoffs so there is a noticeable drop.

    The biggest thing is that IME won't play Harden if he doesn't want to play lockdown defense. Harden just doesn't fit our culture anymore. This team isn't anything like the MDA era teams. Our team is all about physicality, defense and grit.
     
    #14 HoustonSportsAddict, May 8, 2025
    shakes05 likes this.
  15. Os Trigonum

    Os Trigonum Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    May 2, 2014
    Messages:
    81,302
    Likes Received:
    121,605
    now THIS is an off-season thread!!!
     
    #15 Os Trigonum, May 8, 2025
    Yojimbo, JayGoogle, BHannes2BHonest and 2 others like this.
  16. count_dough-ku

    count_dough-ku Member

    Joined:
    May 19, 2002
    Messages:
    18,197
    Likes Received:
    10,171
    Not sure I'd do this. Harden is gonna be looking for an extension, so we'd still be stuck with a 35+ mil/yr contract for several seasons. Also, he'll be 36 in August and at any moment could be washed. On top of that, he needs the ball in his hands, doesn't play much D, and disappears in the playoffs. Sure, he may at least show up for the first 4 or 5 games which is still an improvement over Jalen, but you cannot count on that guy when the season is on the line.
     
    #16 count_dough-ku, May 8, 2025
    shakes05 likes this.
  17. shakes05

    shakes05 Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2007
    Messages:
    675
    Likes Received:
    452
    Nope to Colby White - he's streaky like Jalen Green
    Nope to Sexton - Isiah Collier took his spot, but would like Sexton in a separate trade outside of Jalen Green
    Yes to Tyler Herro - question: why would Heat make this trade???
    Yes to Austin Reeves - caveat: they'll have to include Rui/Dorian Finney Smith to match salaries and we'll give them Landale to get their Center
    Maybe to Trae Young - FVV proved his worth, would prefer to keep him
    Maybe to Desmond Bane - question: why would the Grizzlies want to trade him??? They'll be more inclined to move away from Ja Morant with his distractions
    Nope to Jaden Ivey - don't know how his injury will affect his explosiveness and need more sample size of his performance...didn't play in the playoffs
    Nope to Quentin Grimes - he got hot at the end of the season...can't create offense for other players, but he's a great shooter.
     
    #17 shakes05, May 8, 2025
    OremLK likes this.
  18. GOATuve

    GOATuve Member

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2023
    Messages:
    3,669
    Likes Received:
    3,184
    You're a Cam supporter. You liked KPJ and VSpan. Losers. You don't supporters winning players.

    I'd take Harden for Jalen if that's the best we can get. If you think you're getting Coby White for Jalen you're drunker than usual
     
    #18 GOATuve, May 8, 2025
    fckbandwagons and shakes05 like this.
  19. shakes05

    shakes05 Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2007
    Messages:
    675
    Likes Received:
    452
    We can't have 2 chokers in our starting backcourt and 2 liabilities on defense starting lol. However, FVV showed up when we needed him to. In addition, we struggled as a team when he was injured. Jalen Green had the keys to the offense during that stretch and we had a 6-game losing streak! Therefore, FVV is more valuable to this team than Jalen Green.
     
    #19 shakes05, May 8, 2025
  20. shakes05

    shakes05 Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2007
    Messages:
    675
    Likes Received:
    452
    Harden didn't have his best shooting game, but he still had an impact with 13 assists.
    Besides Jalen Green's 38 point game, what other impact did he have on the game?
     
    #20 shakes05, May 8, 2025
    HoustonSportsAddict likes this.
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)
Page 1 of 4

Share This Page

Toggle Width
Style
ClutchFans Original

  • About ClutchFans

    Since 1996, ClutchFans has been loud and proud covering the Houston Rockets, helping set an industry standard for team fan sites. The forums have been a home for Houston sports fans as well as basketball fanatics around the globe.

  • Rockets Content

  • Support ClutchFans!

    If you find that ClutchFans is a valuable resource for you, please consider becoming a Supporting Member. Supporting Members can upload photos and attachments directly to their posts, customize their user title and more. Gold Supporters see zero ads!


    Upgrade Now