Buying or Selling Early-Season NBA Trade Buzz

Trade talk is already at the forefront of the NBA, with the James Harden-Houston Rockets saga still very much unresolved.

Besides Harden, some other big names have popped up in talks that should kick-start what could be a busy three months before the March 25 trade deadline.

It's time to make sense of the rumors and see if you should be buying or selling the most recent trade buzz.

'Multiple Teams' Interested in Trading for P.J. Tucker

Brandon Dill/Associated Press

Despite already trading away Robert Covington this offseason, the Rockets haven't shown a willingness to part with another one of their veteran forwards.

P.J. Tucker is heading into the final year of his contract, and he has been looking for an extension, according to Kelly Iko, Sam Amick and Shams Charania of The Athletic. If the Rockets don't give him one, "multiple teams have expressed interest" in trading for him, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

While Tucker is past his prime, he remains a tough-as-nails defender who's proved capable of guarding players far bigger than his 6'5" frame. He's also connected on 39.2 percent of his corner three-pointers over the past three years with the Rockets, a spot he's favored 70.7 percent of the time when outside the arc.

It should be easy for suitors to match salaries for Tucker, too, as he's earning just shy of $8 million this season.

The Rockets won't get two first-rounders for Tucker like they did for Covington, but they should receive considerable interest from contenders around the league if they do put him on the trade block.

Buy or Sell: Buy. Tucker is still a great, veteran defender on a terrific contract.

Heat 'Stopped Pursuit' of James Harden

Gaston De Cardenas/Associated Press

The Miami Heat were one of the teams pursuing a trade for James Harden, with one high-ranking Heat official showing "strong interest" in the 2017-18 MVP, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

However, Houston's asking price was too high, which led Miami to stop its pursuit of Harden for the time being.

If Harden is prioritizing winning, Miami might be his best option.

The Heat are one of the few franchises that already has a strong culture, respected head coach and existing star player in place. They could draw the best out of Harden and not allow him to dictate every aspect of the organization like he's done in Houston for the past eight years.

Miami should also be heavily interested in acquiring Harden, as Butler isn't one of the high-volume shot-taking stars in the league. It just comes down to Houston's asking price.

If the Rockets asked for Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro to start a deal (as they should to begin negotiations), then Miami should say no. Both Butler and Adebayo should be considered untouchable, but a package of Herro, Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn and salary filler shouldn't be.

If Houston decreases its asking price over time, Miami should revisit trade talks. But for now, it appears these negotiations are dormant.

Buy or Sell: Buy the Heat stopping talks, assuming Houston wanted Adebayo in the deal.

Sixers 'Not Trading' Ben Simmons

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

If the Philadelphia 76ers want to make a serious run at James Harden and reunite him with former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, it will almost certainly cost them either Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid.

On Thursday, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that the 76ers have made Simmons available in talks for Harden. But roughly an hour later, Morey told Charania: "We are not trading Ben Simmons—he is an important part of our future."

Morey's public denial should be a sign that Simmons isn't going anywhere, right?

For the 24-year-old All-Star point guard, unfortunately not.

Morey went on record in June 2019 saying that the Rockets would not be fielding calls for Chris Paul, who was Harden's running mate in Houston at the time. He traded a package headlined by Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder three weeks later for Russell Westbrook.

Whether Morey changed his mind or Harden put pressure on the organization to make the deal happen, it wasn't a good look either way.

Considering his past history, Morey's words mean little here. Expect Simmons to be available in a trade for Harden, even if Morey wants to start the season out with his two young stars first.

Buy or Sell: Sell. We've heard this story before.

Rockets Want Michael Porter Jr.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

The Nuggets would be an interesting landing spot for the league's leading scorer.

Although Jamal Murray was never brought up in talks, the Rockets wanted another young player with star potential: second-year forward Michael Porter Jr.

As Mike Singer of the Denver Post wrote: "Houston's interest centered firmly on Nuggets small forward Michael Porter Jr., the source said. Those talks haven't materialized into anything substantial. Any potential deal would have to include Gary Harris or Will Barton, if not both, to match salaries, which would leave the Nuggets extremely thin on the wing."

While the Rockets should have interest in Porter given his age (22) and considerable upside (20.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 1.0 blocks per 36 minutes as a rookie), Houston should look for even more.

Getting Porter instead of Murray as the main piece in a trade would signal a rebuild for the Rockets, a situation they should try to avoid with 30-year-old John Wall and his massive contract now on the books. Even getting Harris or Barton back wouldn't help Houston remain a fringe title contender.

Ultimately, a deal between the Rockets and Nuggets doesn't make a lot of sense for either side.

Buy or Sell: Buy that the Rockets want Porter; sell that he would be a good enough starting point for a deal.

Celtics, Raptors Favorites to Trade for James Harden

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

While it originally looked like James Harden would force his way to the Brooklyn Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat have emerged as potential landing spots as well.

However, the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics are reportedly the favorites to land Harden, according to ESPN 97.5's John Granato. Toronto would build a package around Pascal Siakam, while Boston would offer a package headlined by Jaylen Brown, per Granato.

While the Rockets should be targeting Siakam from the Raptors, something doesn't add up. Bringing in Harden to a team that already has a set backcourt with Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet doesn't make sense.

VanVleet would likely be bumped back to a sixth-man role, which he presumably wasn't envisioning when he agreed to a four-year, $85 million deal with Toronto this offseason. It would also make the Raptors extremely weak up front with Siakam gone, especially after they lost both Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka in free agency.

Boston would make more sense, as a combo of Harden and Jayson Tatum would destroy defenses on a nightly basis. Kemba Walker is going to miss at least the first few weeks of the season with a knee injury, so the Celtics could use Harden's scoring in a backcourt with Marcus Smart.

However, it would be risky to give up on Brown as he begins a team-friendly four-year, $106.3 million extension seems risky, especially since Boston would have to part with even more just to match salaries.

Buy or Sell: Sell. While both teams may have had talks, neither make sense as favorites for Harden.