Jan 23, 2019; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (3) defends against Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
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.
The 31-year old Harden has $131.5 million left in his contract, including a $46.9 million player option in 2022-23.
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.
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.
Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo
This post was published on 2020-11-11 17:53
