James Harden has generated plenty of buzz over the past month, but there hasn’t seemed to be much activity related to a trade for the superstar guard.
NBA analyst Amin Elhassan believes that’s about the change.
The basketball world received significant non-Harden news Tuesday. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who some thought would test free agency after the season, signed a five-year contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks. With the dream of acquiring Antetokounmpo in the near future now out of the question, Elhassan believes teams could redirect their attention to Harden.
“Well, I think the first thing that’s going to happen is James Harden’s market is about to warm up a lot more than it has in the last couple weeks,” Elhassan said Tuesday on ESPN’s “The Jump.” “Everyone kind of went into a holding pattern to see what Giannis is going to do. ‘If I have a shot at Giannis, I want Giannis.’ But now, knowing that he’s off the table, now we might be willing to give up some assets. Because he’s the thing about James Harden that makes him special as a trade target, beyond being a perennial MVP candidate: He’s a guy who’s under contract this year, next year and a player option after that. So you get at least two solid years of James Harden. That’s something worth giving up assets for.”
More teams very well could start picking up the phone and calling the Rockets, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a Harden trade is on the horizon. Houston reportedly is demanding quite a haul for the 2018 MVP, and the franchise isn’t in a position where it needs to rush to swing a blockbuster. The Rockets theoretically would be better served waiting until close to the March 25 trade deadline if they are, indeed, open to moving their franchise cornerstone.
Harden made his 2020 preseason debut Tuesday night against the San Antonio Spurs, scoring 12 points in 21 minutes. He did not speak with the media following Houston’s 112-98 win.
