NBA Rumors: Latest on James Harden, Draymond Green Trade, Lloyd Pierce
James Harden in South Beach?
That image of the 2018 MVP playing alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo was almost a possibility if the Houston Rockets would have agreed to the Miami Heat's trade proposal.
According to the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson (h/t RealGM), the Heat were "open" to sending multiple young players and a potential 2025 first-round pick in exchange for Harden.
Miami was a choice destination for The Beard in the heat of his trade demands, but their interest cooled because of Houston's asking price.
Per Jackson's reporting, the Rockets were seeking a package that included Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Precious Achiuwa, KZ Okpala, Andre Iguodala, Kelly Olynyk and first-round picks in 2025 and 2027.
The Heat weren't willing to pay Houston's steep price tag to land Harden's offensive services, no matter how lethal they are.
Thus far this season, the eight-time NBA All-Star is averaging 27.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and a league-leading 11.3 assists per game.
Impressive numbers for a player who not only showed up to training camp late and out of shape, but one who's been a distraction because of his trade demands.
With no deal made, it looks as if Harden will have to buckle in and play to the best of his abilities until the March 25 trade deadline.
He hasn't let on that he's no longer interested in being dealt to another team, but he's at least putting on a supportive public face, praising his Rockets as having the potential to do "something special" this season.
"We've got a lot of work to do," Harden told Ben Dubose of Yahoo Sports. "I think every team feels that way but for us, we're behind in the sense that we haven't really had our entire team. We just haven't had an opportunity to work together very often. As long as we continue to find chemistry, and find pace on both ends of the floor, we have a chance to do something special."
The jury's still out on whether Houston indeed does have a chance to make noise as a bona fide contender considering that they are currently ranked No. 12 in the Western Conference with a 3-4 record, but it's still early and they have time to turn it around.
The question is whether or not they'll turn it around enough to satisfy Harden and keep him from wanting to go elsewhere.
Draymond Green in a Portland Trail Blazers Uniform?
Draymond Green has played for the Golden State Warriors since he was drafted by them in 2012 in the second round with the No. 35 pick, so it might seem weird to picture him in another uniform.
But according to The Athletic's Sam Amick, there's at least one team interested in making him switch jerseys: the Portland Trail Blazers.
"If we were handicapping Draymond trade destinations if the Warriors decided to blow it up...that's the one," Amick said on The Athletic NBA Show podcast. "Damian [Lillard] and his group have for the last couple years been campaigning for that."
Amick's prediction is based on the Warriors' fortunes this season.
Should they bottom out and fall to the bottom of the West, they may look to shake things up, especially when it comes to their luxury tax bill.
No point paying $147 million in penalties if they aren't competing for a championship this year.
And while the $14.4 million Kelly Oubre Jr. is owed this season is the main reason the Warriors' tax bill went from $66 million to where it is now, Green is the one who might be moved.
That would sit well with Lillard, who is a good friend of Green's and has been campaigning for the Blazers to deal for the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year for a while now.
Unfortunately for Lillard, it doesn't look like Golden State is in rebuild mode, so Green is still a key piece to their puzzle.
Green's numbers aren't exactly leaping off the stat sheet this season, but his value isn't measured there.
His value is in running the offense, making the right play and serving as the team's defensive anchor.
Golden State didn't look like themselves at the start of the season, quickly going 0-2, but since Green has been back, they've gone 3-2 and are in the No. 8 spot in the West with a 5-4 record.
Not only is he playing well, but he's directing the defense and mentoring the Warriors' new rookie, James Wiseman.
"That would require people to know the game of basketball and most people don't," Green told reporters about fans not knowing the importance of defense. "Wishful thinking. But most people will never learn the game of basketball. I mean, they think they know, but yet don't have a clue. So, it is what it is.
"I enjoy being one of the not so many people that actually know the game and being in that rate category of people who really know what's going on in the game of basketball as opposed to watching it and thinking they can dissect it because they realize who hit the shot. It's fine."
Pierce on the Hot Seat?
After the move the Atlanta Hawks made this offseason, many believed they were on the brink of having a breakout year.
According to The Athletic's Chris Kirschner and Sam Amick, the Hawks have "expressed confidence" that they would be a threat to win the Eastern Conference this season.
But nine games in, the 4-5 Hawks aren't living up to those expectations.
Atlanta has lost four straight games, despite losing to perceived weaker opponents.
That means that all eyes are on head coach Lloyd Pierce, who is under "significant pressure" to lead the Hawks to the playoffs this season after a three-year drought.
Right now, Pierce's job is in no "imminent danger," per Kirschner and Amick's sources, but he's still got a lot to contend with.
Outside of the losing streak, Pierce has to deal with a fissure in the relationship between John Collins and the team's franchise player, Trae Young.
Collins voiced his displeasure with how the offense has been run with Young at the helm, and since then, the All-Star point guard has not played well.
In the immediate game after Collins spoke out, Young scored just seven points on 2-of-9 shooting.
On Saturday night, he scored just 15 points in a 113-105 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
Most notably, he has not hit a three-point shot in the last two games.
"You look at my first game after we won, I told you I'd never get too high or too low this season," Young told Chris Kirschner and Sam Amick. "We're eight games in. We're 4-4. Any team can go on a stretch and win five games in a row. Any team can lose five. It's all about how you prepare for the next one. For us, if we dwell on the three home games that we lost, this can carry over and continue to happen. We can't let that happen."
Atlanta goes as Young goes, so Pierce will have to find a way to get Young back to playing at an All-Star level while also appeasing Collins and incorporating the talented new players he has on the roster like Kris Dunn, Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
If he turns things around, all should be well. But if he can't, that seat will get mighty hot in the coming weeks.
Maurice Bobb covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow Maurice on Twitter, @ReeseReport.
