NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on James Harden Trade, Heat, Draymond Green, More
The 2020-21 NBA season is now more than two weeks old. But even though the offseason is over and teams are focused on winning games, that doesn't mean the trade rumors are going to go away.
In fact, they may pick up even more over the next two months. During this unorthodox 72-game season, the trade deadline has been set for March 25. So if any of the league's 30 teams plan on making deals, they don't have too long to strike them.
Here's some of the latest buzz and trade chatter from around the NBA.
What Would It Take for Heat to Trade for Harden?
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One of the hottest topics around the NBA is whether the Houston Rockets will trade superstar guard James Harden. The 31-year-old former MVP made it known that he wanted to be dealt in December, but he remains on the team and has played in five of the Rockets' first six games.
The Miami Heat have been among the teams connected to Harden trade rumors. ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently stated on his Hoop Collective podcast that he thought the Miami Heat had the assets to get a deal done if they wanted, noting he thought Houston would trade Harden in exchange for guard Tyler Herro and forward Duncan Robinson. It turns out, though, it might take more than that from Miami.
On Tuesday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported that the Rockets "actually want more significant assets" from the Heat in any potential Harden trade. Jackson shared that a source said Miami was open to dealing "a couple of its young players," potentially a 2025 first-round draft pick and veterans Andre Iguodala and Kelly Olynyk, both of whom "would be needed to facilitate the trade from a cap standpoint."
"But the Rockets want more," Jackson wrote. "Even if the Heat offered Herro, Robinson, Precious Achiuwa, KZ Okpala, Iguodala, Olynyk and first-round picks in 2025 and 2027, I'm not sure that would be enough to satisfy the Rockets."
If that's the case, then perhaps Harden won't be heading to Miami. Of course, trade negotiations can always take different turns, so this situation could change as we get deeper into the season. Regardless, if he's not traded beforehand, the rumors are likely to continue right up until March's trade deadline.
Lillard Would Like Green to Get Traded to Portland
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The Golden State Warriors are off to a 4-4 start this season, which is much better than how they began the 2019-20 campaign, when they lost 12 of their first 14 games. One reason for that is because many of Golden State's players are in better health, notably star point guard Stephen Curry.
Forward Draymond Green was dealing with a foot injury to begin the season, but he's since gotten on the court for the Warriors. However, he's off to a bit of a slow start, averaging 2.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists in his first four games.
Could it be possible that the 30-year-old Green won't still be with the Warriors by the conclusion of the season, though? Josh Schrock of NBC Sports recently noted that Green is one of the players "most likely to get dealt if Golden State falters and chooses to try and lessen the luxury tax bill that comes at season's end."
And if Green was on the market, there's already one team that appears to be interested, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick. All-Star point guard Damian Lillard wants Green to join him on the Portland Trail Blazers.
"If we were handicapping Draymond trade destinations if the Warriors decided to blow it up ... that's the one. Damian and his group have for the last couple years been campaigning for that," Amick said on The Athletic NBA Show (h/t Schrock).
The Trail Blazers are 4-4 to open the season, but it wouldn't be surprising to see them contend in the Western Conference this year. And while they already have Jusuf Nurkic and Robert Covington in the post, it likely couldn't hurt to add an experienced player like Green if the opportunity came about.
Raptors' Offer to Ibaka During Offseason Was Lower Than Expected for Center
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After spending the previous three-and-a-half seasons with the Toronto Raptors, Serge Ibaka signed a two-year, $19 million with the Los Angeles Clippers, joining one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
That doesn't mean the Raptors didn't try to bring back the center, who helped to lead the franchise to its first NBA title in 2019. It's just that negotiations may not have gone too well, according to Sportsnet's Michael Grange:
"The Raptors' first offer—about $12 million for the 2020-21 season—was below what he was expecting and while Toronto came up to $14 million, they were still trying to keep some powder dry to pursue [Marc] Gasol," Grange wrote. "That didn't go over well with Ibaka who, according to multiple sources, resented having to play behind the Spanish international and wasn't going to sign on for a shared role again."
Not only did Ibaka head to the Clippers, but the Raptors also didn't re-sign Gasol, who instead opted to sign a two-year, $5.3 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. That left Toronto with forward Pascal Siakam and center Aron Baynes (who signed a two-year, $14.3 million deal this past offseason) as its starters in the post.
Without Ibaka and Gasol, the Raptors haven't gotten off to a good start this season, losing six of their first seven games. Meanwhile, the Clippers are 6-3, and Ibaka has started all nine games, averaging 11.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest.
