Nets are preparing final offers to Rockets for superstar James Harden
The Brooklyn Nets are currently dealing with their own issues following the drama that has surrounded Kyrie Irving and what’s going on off the floor and the team is off to a disappointing 6-6 start. General manager Sean Marks is looking to move quickly to make sure his team stays in title contention.
One constant rumor surrounding the Nets and any big trade has been the possibility of bringing in disgruntled Houston Rockets star James Harden. It’s clear that the former league MVP is done with Houston and he wants out in the worst way possible.
The Rockets are now moving quickly to get a deal done and get him out of there and on to a new team. The Athletic and The Stadium’s Shams Charania reports that the Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers are the two teams leading the Harden race.
Charania reports:
The Nets have prepared a package to Houston for Harden featuring all of their four future first-round picks and three future pick swaps, multiple sources said. This would place significant pressure on the team to win immediately and the potential partnership between two former star teammates in Harden and Kevin Durant. Nets general manager Sean Marks and his front office have built an impactful culture around their players, and have been able to keep strong future flexibility in the process. For the Nets, there could be hesitation to mortgage future assets with this type of ferocity. Brooklyn does not owe any extra firsts or have any owed to it, so it has four firsts and three swaps available.
The Nets (6-6) entered this season with great expectations and title-contending hopes, but the combination of Kyrie Irving’s continued absence (personal reasons) and Kevin Durant’s week-long absence (COVID protocol) that ended with a win over Denver last night has been challenging. The timing would be perfect for a player like Harden to come aboard, but the Nets could still be hesitant to mortgage so many future assets.
It remains to be seen what Brooklyn would give up in order to acquire Harden, but if they can bring him in now, it would definitely give the team a spark that they need at the moment. The uncertainty surrounding Irving right now is putting Marks on the spot to make a move and help Brooklyn stay in the race in the East and Harden and Durant had success in the past with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He would be a much-needed addition to the roster.
