And despite seemingly doing everything in his power to make life difficult for the Rockets to do just that — not reporting for training camp, looking to blatantly disregard social distancing policies put in place to attend the birthday party of Lil Baby, just being a general pain in the behind — given the nature of the NBA, no matter how spoiled he’s behaving he’s still likely to get his way at some point.
So far, Harden has reportedly made known of four destinations that he’d like to be traded to: Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Miami or Milwaukee, with the Nets, reportedly, being his preferred destination.
All four clubs figure to be contenders this season, so Harden’s desire to win seems apparent but where, exactly would he fit in best among these options? Here’s a quick ranking of each:
The 76ers would be a top-notch destination for both Harden and Philadelphia.
Harden would reunite with Daryl Morey, the man who first brought him to Houston and then signed him to the supermax deal he’s on right now, and the team that would be around him would be built to be far more offensively balanced than he’s had with the Rockets, something that will ease the load off him.
For the Sixers, trading for Harden would mean the team’s dreadful shooting would instantly see an upgrade, plus the club could finally end this Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons experiment.
Over the past couple of seasons it’s been quite apparent that the two stars don’t compliment each other well at all and Philly would, perhaps, be better off choosing one over the other. Should the Sixers look to make a deal for Harden, because of the massive $41.2 million he’s owed this season, Philadelphia would basically have to deal one of Embiid, Simmons or Tobias Harris — with the more attractive choices for Houston being one of Embiid or Simmons.
The setup is already in place for an easy transaction, and the Sixers would hold a lot of promise with the addition of Harden.
From a pure basketball standpoint, this is the most terrifying proposition: The two MVPs over the last three seasons teaming up together.
From a purely competitive standpoint, this should be the destination Harden wants to go to the most. The team with the best record in basketball the last two seasons, with one of the most dominant two-way players on the planet leading the charge, relieving Harden of the pressure he’s faced over his career in Houston.
It sounds like a perfect fit right up until you consider what a trade package would look like.
In order to swap for Harden straight up the Bucks would have to trade either Khris Middleton or newcomer Jrue Holiday. It’s unlikely Milwaukee wants to do either, although, with that said, Harden would certainly be an upgrade over Middleton on the wing.
Another strong, competitively-reasoned destination that comes with the big bonus of South Beach, the defending Eastern Conference champions look poised to dominate the East for years to come and the addition of Harden would just cement that.
Harden would theoretically give Miami what it was missing in the Finals last season, a go-to scorer, capable of getting a bucket whenever needed.
You can debate the aesthetics of Harden’s game all you like, but as the three-time defending scoring champion there’s no denying he knows how to score and there were times in the Finals when it looked like Miami could have used an individually great player to get them baskets as opposed to relying upon the team’s offensive system, where most of their scoring comes from.
Harden could be that guy.
Unfortunately for Miami, like with Milwaukee, in order to make this deal happen straight up, the Heat would have to give away too much in Jimmy Butler. Miami’s other valuable players like Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro will be making too little this season to factor into a trade to help match Harden’s gargantuan salary and a deal with the primary pieces coming back Houston’s way being Kelly Olynyk and Andre Iguodala wouldn’t fly, either.
You can never say never, but it’s hard to see how the Heat can get this deal done.
Harden’s preferred destination is probably the worst option he’s given himself.
Sure, a deal could be made between Brooklyn and Houston without the Nets needing to deal one of Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving, but in order to do so a combination of Brooklyn’s young talent that will act as the team’s role players this season will need to be dealt.
This means, probably, a three-man grouping of Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, Taurean Prince, Jarrett Allen and even veteran big man DeAndre Jordan.
That would be a sizeable amount of Brooklyn’s depth — and a big part of the team’s competitive advantage — stripped away just to add Harden to Durant and Irving.
But, for posterity’s sake, let’s say a deal does happen, is there enough ball to go around between that kind of triumvirate? Harden, of course, is notorious for basically pounding the air out of the ball, Irving also needs the ball in his hands so he can work his wicked handle and create off that, and then while Durant could probably be just as effective as a spot-up guy he’ll likely be considered the alpha of the group by many and, thus, will need the ball a good chunk of time, too.
This wouldn’t be like LeBron James joining the Miami Heat when he was the undisputed best player on the team. The Nets have different circumstances and there’s probably going to be a lot of egos to sort through right now and the addition of Harden might be too much for Brooklyn to handle.
We know you were thinking about it, so to put it to rest here’s what a Harden trade scenario to the Raptors would look like:
If this was a straight two-team deal between Toronto and Houston the Raptors would have to give up one of Pascal Siakam or Kyle Lowry in a deal.
It would be intriguing to see how the Raptors’ coaching staff would integrate Harden into the team’s offence as he’s a player who loves isolation and Toronto’s offensive approach is very much against that, preferring to run a pace-and-space, ball-movement-heavy form of attack.
Harden’s own individual defensive effort can be lacking at times as well as he tries to preserve himself on offence, something that would also probably run the Raptors’ coaching staff — and the players — the wrong way.
So this deal is very, very, very unlikely to happen. But, never say never, and should this actually come to pass you have to wonder if that price would be worth it?
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
