It’s a broken-record statement: Every move the Toronto Raptors made this past off-season was carefully curated towards maintaining fiscal flexibility for the summer of 2021, in which the class of free agents looked to be higher profile than that of 2020’s.
And while players like Victor Oladipo are certainly intriguing, the Raptors may prefer to pivot towards scoping out distressed assets, of which the Houston Rockets’ James Harden is absolutely the most valuable.
But dealing for Harden is no simple act. The goal of any trade is to bring in more, or comparable valuable than what is being sent out, and that’s impossible for Houston with a superstar of his stature. Consider the precedent-setting haul the Bucks doled out this off-season in exchange for Jrue Holiday, then factor in Harden being a former MVP who is still in his prime with three years (two guaranteed) left on his deal — a rarity in these situations. Compounding matters further is Rockets owner Tillman Feritta, whose reluctance to enter the luxury tax is well-documented, making the matching of salaries complex given Houston currently being hard-capped.
Despite all of that, Harden wants out. The Rockets would prefer to avoid a Vince Carter situation, where a disaffected star’s value depreciates with a season of uninspired performances. And all signs currently point to a split.
Should Toronto find itself in serious discussions for Harden, there are a few possible deals (with some being more viable than others) to make things work.
This would satisfy Houston’s self-proclaimed desire for a young star (Siakam isn’t super young at 26, but he’s still on the cusp of his prime) as well as land them a high-level role player in Powell and young asset in Davis, along with picks.
Toronto would not only receive Harden, but the acquisition of Tucker (who has made it clear he would prefer to move on from Houston) would help alleviate the need at forward that would become only more apparent with Siakam’s departure. They would also no longer have to manage Powell’s upcoming player option (worth $11.6 million if he exercises it), nor the moral implications of keeping Davis, who was recently arrested and charged for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend at a New York hotel.
A second option would be the same deal, but with slotting in Kyle Lowry in place of Siakam to send to Houston. This would be more of a frugal direction, since Lowry’s present contract is expiring, and combined with getting off of Harden’s salary early, this would quickly open up cap space in the near future and ensure an avoidance of the luxury tax.
Of course, any potential deal centred around Lowry for Toronto is one that should be carefully evaluated, considering his all-time importance to the franchise and connection to the fanbase. If he were to be sent out (especially if he were displeased with the move a la DeMar DeRozan), it would be an undeniably difficult pill to swallow for many.
Initially, the Rockets voiced that they were prepared to enter the season with Harden and let things play out, and while they will still go into 2020-21 with him should nothing surface that satisfies their wants in a trade, they have now reportedly shifted their stance towards getting something done as soon as possible.
If a deal is to happen sooner rather than later, the Raptors will have to include one of either Siakam or Lowry in any given trade to make the money work. Their other moderate-to-high salaried players have all recently been signed, and due to league rules, cannot be dealt for up to three months.
This does mean, of course, more options unfold if Harden is still on the Rockets as the trade deadline (now set for March 25) approaches.
Toronto could then create a package with Fred VanVleet as the primary piece rather than Siakam or Lowry, for example. Or they could offer a medley of role players and lower-end bench guys, though that would seem to be the most unappealing selection.
It must also be noted here that any package Toronto can offer will very likely not be the best one available to Houston, should they wait long enough. That, obviously, makes it rather unlikely that the Raptors will end up making a deal for Harden, though it of course doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try.
Pros of a Harden trade
In the event that the Raptors are in a position to realistically land Harden (no matter what the deal looks like), doing so makes sense. Aside from the overt reasons as to why a team should want to add a top-10 player to its roster, Harden would seem to be a good fit.
Depending on the trade, the Raptors would still be able to surround Harden with four plus-defenders, mitigating his defensive limitations (which are often overblown; he’s an average perimeter defender when engaged and underrated when asked to check players in the post) and therefore harming the overall defence less than one might believe.
Offensively, Harden is a transcendent talent, one of if not the top scorer of his generation, and would instantly bolster a Raptors offence that ranked 14th (111.1) in offensive rating last season. A large reason Toronto was so mediocre on that end of the floor was its inefficiency in the half-court, caused by a lack of individual creators. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Raptors ranked 16th in half-court offence, mustering just 111 points per possession.
The Rockets, on the other hand, ranked seventh in half-court offence, generating 112.9 points per possession. While Harden wasn’t the only component of that offence, he certainly was the driving force of it, averaging a 35.6 usage percentage and 45 per cent frequency rate in isolation plays (this ranked first in the league by far; Russell Westbrook was second with a 25 per cent frequency rate), which saw him in the 91st percentile.
There were only two players in the entire league last season who were able to manage a usage percentage of at least 30 and a true shooting percentage of at least 60 (remaining hyper-efficient on such a high-volume workload is absurdly tough), and they were reigning MVP Antetokounmpo and Harden.
While it’s not always easy incorporating a superstar player into a new club, and while a coach like Nick Nurse prefers his teams to play an egalitarian style of basketball, exceptions are understandably made for prodigious talents like Harden.
Toronto already did this once, acquiring Kawhi Leonard and working his often isolation-heavy game into the team’s offence. There were grumbles about that style of play at times throughout the 2018-19 season, but it ultimately resulted in a championship, and made the sacrifices worth it.
The bottom line here is this: A player like Harden brings a team like Toronto closer to winning a title than it is right now. If that’s the goal, and recognizing that it’s unknowable how long it may take the team to otherwise obtain a player of Harden’s calibre, it would not be astonishing for a transaction to take place should such a rare opportunity present itself.
Cons of a Harden trade
Though his basketball fit may not come with any concerns worthy of hesitation as it pertains to the idea of pulling the trigger on a deal, it’s Harden’s grandiose personality that could give a franchise more than a moment’s pause.
Most (if not all) superstar players in the NBA receive a certain level of special treatment — it’s merely a ramification of the league’s ecosystem. But Harden has reportedly seldom if ever faced resistance from the Rockets on anything (until now as they try to figure out how best to move on from him) and, as such, may find it difficult to assimilate to a franchise whose culture has not been built heliocentrically.
Under Ujiri, the Raptors have spent years cultivating the precise type of milieu it takes to become a perennial playoff-or-better team, a feat that even a decade ago felt next to impossible. Now, after invaluable contributions from the likes of Dwane Casey, DeRozan, Lowry, Bobby Webster, Nurse, and Leonard (as well as the rise of Raptors 905), Toronto is viewed league-wide as one of the upper echelon organizations.
If Harden were to be dealt to Toronto, then, a bit of a rocky start off the floor wouldn’t be surprising. However, the Raptors are confident in themselves and their ability to sell anyone, especially superstars, on not only their roster, but their organization and the city they represent as a whole. They felt positively about their ability to do so with Leonard in 2018-19, and though he eventually left for reasons not purely related to basketball, it’s clear that he was sold while a part of the team, playing through injury and giving his all to help Toronto secure its first championship.
With Harden having three years remaining on his current deal (and his history as an ironman), the Raptors would at least have a longer time with him than the lone season they got with Leonard.
Still, that doesn’t entirely eliminate the concerns brought on from Harden’s tenure in Houston, particular those related to his former co-star teammates, all of whom — from Dwight Howard to Chris Paul to Westbrook — became disgruntled and eventually either departed or were traded.
Perhaps the most perturbing element of a Harden deal, though, is what his next contract will look like. At the moment, he’s entering the second season of a four-year, $170 million extension (one that escalates each year) that will see him earn a total of $228 million by the time his contract is up, and he’s considered worth every penny.
Assuming he exercises his player option, Harden will be 33 years old by the time he’s able to be a free agent again and will certainly be looking to capitalize on his elite talent possibly for the final time. Whether or not he’s still worth a hefty price at that point will depend on a myriad of things.
Locking up a cap sheet long-term for a player at that age, no matter who they are, is always a risk, and it’s one that the Raptors would have to consider in any trade discussions as they weigh their personal outlook on the present against that of the future.
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.
