NBA Trade Rumors: Rockets Aren't Interested in Kyrie Irving for James Harden

Though James Harden is still hoping for a trade to the Brooklyn Nets, he reportedly won't be flipped for fellow All-Star Kyrie Irving, according to Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. 

"The Nets aren't interested in trading Kyrie Irving, nor have the Rockets expressed an interest in acquiring him," ESPN reported.

Houston is reportedly seeking a "young franchise cornerstone" plus draft capital or more young building blocks in a trade for Harden, while any current Nets package centers around complementary players and draft picks.

The Rockets haven't been afraid to swap big-name players in trades, dealing Russell Westbrook for John Wall earlier this offseason. The team also acquired Westbrook a year ago in a deal that sent Chris Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

However, adding the 28-year-old Irving wouldn't be the type of move to spur a rebuild.

Houston is likely seeking something similar to what the New Orleans Pelicans received for Anthony Davis: a package headlined by Brandon Ingram, who became an All-Star last season.

From the other perspective, the Nets would want to add Harden to the core that already includes Irving and Durant with the hope this Big Three could contend for a championship.

Brooklyn signed Irving and Durant last offseason to max deals worth more than $300 million combined, but we still haven't seen the duo play together in a regular-season game due to injuries.

The organization seemingly wants to see what this pairing can do before splitting them up in a trade.