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?
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
