Could James Harden be the third star that the Brooklyn Nets covet?
With all the unrest in Houston brought by the sweeping changes in the coaching staff and front office, Rockets’ superstars Harden and Russell Westbrook have reportedly expressed concern about the franchise’s direction, per ESPN.
Adding more fuel to the fire, Kendrick Perkins said on The Jump on Wednesday that Harden isn’t picking up the phone calls of the members of the Rockets’ organization.
Five Reasons Sports Network’s Clutch NBA reported shortly after that Harden already has a list in mind on where he wants to go next if the Rockets decide to go in another direction.
Sources tell me that Houston Rockets Guard James Harden has quietly communicated with people close to him that if the Rockets decide to blow it up, he already has a few teams in mind. The Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, & Philadelphia 76ers are among those teams.@5ReasonsSports
— Clutch NBA (@ClutchNBA5R) November 11, 2020
The 31-year old Harden has $131.5 million left in his contract, including a $46.9 million player option in 2022-23.
Nets’ possible package for Harden
ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks also named the Nets as one of the five teams who have the combination of draft capital and tradeable contracts that can satisfy Rockets’ possible asking price. The four other teams are Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, and the 76ers where Daryl Morey, the former Rockets general manager, has indicated that he will trade for Harden if he is made available.
[wpdiscuz-feedback id=”zk31d82cl5″ question=”Will this package lure the Houston Rockets to part ways with James Harden?” opened=”0″]The Nets, according to Marks, can dangle a package composed of Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Spencer Dinwiddie, Taurean Prince, and future draft picks.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]The Nets have internally discussed last season on how to acquire a third star, acknowledging that their championship window has arrived with the acquisition of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
They were previously linked to Bradley Beal and Jrue Holiday, but nothing concrete came out of it.
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