The contenders for the arrival of James Harden are already known, as are those who would favor the former MVP. However, an astonishing franchise could try to interfere in the race given his recent moves.
Since the beginning of the soap opera of his departure, the will of James Harden has always been clear. The 2018 MVP wants to join a franchise that is aiming for the title immediately, and that has better assets to achieve it than those of the Rockets. From then on, two destinations emerge in his mind: Philadelphia, but especially Brooklyn.
After several days of rumors of all kinds, it is the Nets who seem to have taken the lead in this matter, and who benefit from the superstar’s favors. The GM of the New York franchise obviously understood it as well, and therefore activated the liar poker mode to start hostilities.
Sean Marks knows it, he does not have the upper hand over his Texan counterparts for the moment. The latter do not show themselves in any urgency to trade their leader, and do not necessarily intend to comply with his requirements in terms of the point of fall. The latest reports thus suggest that the Bearded Man will be sold, but not at any cost.
Such a development of the situation therefore leaves the door open for other franchises to try their luck. And if a team from the East was strongly discouraged from joining the race, another could take the opposite course. His first decisions during this offseason go in any case in this direction.
But which organization has the assets and funds to potentially win over Houston executives, while also wanting to establish itself as a title contender in the months to come? For Brad Botkin of CBS Sports, it could well be… Hawks, very active on the market these last hours.
The latter have not been hiding it for several weeks: they want to allow Trae Young to play the leading roles in the conference, by surrounding him with players capable of having an immediate impact. Clint Capela’s trade last February, Danilo Gallinari’s signature this Saturday, and the possible arrival of Rajon Rondo enter into this process.
But as Atlanta’s interior sector begins to get crowded, Zach Lowe ofESPN wonders about the future of a player.
The Hawks have picked up Clint Capela, drafted Onyeka Okongwu, and just signed Gallinari. They had De’Andre Hunter play at position 4 a few times last season. A lot of teams are wondering what this means for John Collins.
But how would all of this have to do with James Harden, you ask? ATL could build a deal around young talent, including Collins, with the Rockets to attract the league’s top scorer.
Throw in potentials like Cam Reddish and Kevin Huerter, along with future draft picks, and you’ve got a package that is likely to pique H-Town’s front office curiosity. All this remains of course hypothetical, but could constitute a real avenue to explore for the Hawks.
What better way for the leaders of Atlanta to prove their ambitions to Trae Young than to associate him with the best striker of the current era? The backcourt would certainly lack defensive rigor, but surely not talent.
