Buy or Sell Latest NBA Rumors: Will Nets Actually Trade James Harden to 76ers?
It is happening, right now, before our very eyes: The 2022 NBA trade deadline is bearing down upon us, and its rumor mill is reaching critical mass.
Two not-insubstantial deals have already been made. Norman Powell is a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. Caris LeVert has joined the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Indiana Pacers and Portland Trail Blazers have laid the groundwork for overhauls. Bigger and more impactful moves could be on the way. One of them might include James Harden.
Or maybe not.
Sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania the Brooklyn Nets are "believed to be open to discussing a deal" that would send Harden to the circling Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons and, presumably, other stuff. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne, however, Nets general manager Sean Marks has already rebuffed overtures from Sixers team president Daryl Morey. Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer also adds that "there have been no negotiations, no offers, not even a framework discussed."
Could things change between now and Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline? And who else should we be keeping our eyes lasered upon?
What was once shaping up to be an uneventful trade season has mutated into a frenzy of speculation and seemingly inevitable action. Our buy-or-sell meter is back to gauge the temperature of the most important chatter.
Brooklyn Not Willing to Move James Harden at the Deadline?
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Wojnarowski and Shelburne may have poured cold water all over the James Harden-to-Philadelphia flames, but they far from extinguished the entire fire. Harden is scheduled to hit free agency for the first time in his career (player option), and his behavior, at times, has verged on indifference toward the bigger picture in Brooklyn.
As Woj and Shelburne also pointed out, even as he "tells the Nets that he wants to stay long-term, two people with significant history and relationships with him—Sixers minority owner Michael Rubin and [Daryl] Morey—believe Harden is interested in playing in Philadelphia."
Brooklyn has no obligation to acquiesce if its second-best player wants (yet another) change of scenery. Keeping Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, crossing their fingers for better health and praying their butts off for a shift in New York City's COVID-19 vaccine policy or Kyrie's anti-vax stance continues to represent the team's best shot at a title now.
Sure, this could all fall apart over the offseason, when Kyrie is a free agent himself (player option). But the Nets will not be without avenues of action if one or two of their stars pines for a summertime exit. Fewer than five teams are currently slated for meaningful cap space. Neither Harden nor Kyrie is likely getting out of town without help from the Nets, in the form of sign-and-trades or opt-in-and-trades.
Still, Brooklyn can't turn a blind eye to the torrent of smoke emanating from its house. This isn't Ben Simmons demanding relocation with four entire seasons left on his contract. Harden has more leverage as an impending free agent, and the Sixers' best offer will probably worsen in a few months' time. If he wants out, they can and should and must oblige—but he'll have to push them to first.
Verdict: Buy the Nets refusing to trade Harden. Sell the idea this can't change before Thursday.
Tyrese Maxey Untouchable in Harden Trade Talks?
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Not to be lost amid the "will Brooklyn actually consider trading James Harden to Philadelphia?" furor is the cost of entry into negotiations for the Sixers. Ben Simmons will be the centerpiece of their package...because obviously. But who and what else will be headed to the Nets?
Apparently, not Tyrese Maxey. He is "off the table" in any Harden trade, according to The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor.
This is, if true, a comical line to draw. If push comes to shove, the Sixers sure as hell aren't letting Maxey make-or-break their chance to convert a $33-plus-million empty roster spot into James Friggin' Harden.
At the same time, it behooves them to try their damnedest to retain the former. His development at the point of attack has been critical to their offensive survival, and acquiring Harden is not without risk. They may not be afraid of his age (32), hamstring issues or next contract, but they must absolutely plan around all potential pitfalls.
Maximizing their depth of creation and ball-handling and stocking an expensive roster with cost-controlled contributors is paramount to whatever form this roster takes moving forward. Harden's price point and aging trajectory merely exacerbate that importance.
Philly also has enticing packages it can offer Brooklyn that don't feature Maxey. First-round picks can be just as useful to a Nets team that needs them if they wish to strike other trades, and as Bryan Toporek noted for Forbes.com, the Sixers can shave more than $50 million off Brooklyn's luxury-tax bill in a Simmons-for-Harden swap by taking back the injured Joe Harris and baking in Seth Curry.
Cash savings shouldn't matter to Nets fans. But it will absolutely mean something to an organization that can't be sure its lucrative investment will pay off, or last, beyond this season.
Verdict: Sell Maxey being untouchable in trade talks. Buy the Sixers' ability to swing a trade without including him.
Knicks Interested in CJ McCollum?
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League executives think the Blazers will "move CJ McCollum by the trade deadline or this offseason" after they offloaded Norman Powell and seem poised to thoroughly revamp, if not retool, the roster around Damian Lillard, according to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto. This has apparently piqued the New York Knicks' attention.
Two rival teams told NBA reporter Marc Stein the "Knicks are emerging as a legitimate trade suitor" for McCollum. Their overarching interest tracks.
New York's offense is painfully, overwhelmingly mediocre. Even with RJ Barrett more frequently entering alpha mode, there is room (read: dire need) for a dependable focal point. Julius Randle's stylistic and perimeter-shooting malaise endures, Kemba Walker has been relatively disappointing and Derrick Rose remains injured. McCollum is a career bucket-getter, with a smooth in-between game, who has shot 36.7 percent on a steady volume of off-the-dribble threes since 2020-21.
On the flip side: Presuming this is true, just what in the actual hell are the Knicks doing?
Acquiring McCollum does nothing to simplify a jumbled pecking order. Head coach Tom Thibodeau has already been unable, or perhaps unwilling, to find minutes for Cam Reddish, who the Knicks gave up a first-round pick to get. Adding McCollum to the fold won't clear up backcourt congestion unless New York is shipping out multiple guards in the process.
And to what end does that make sense? McCollum and the two years, $69.1 million remaining on his contract are better off with a team one move away from fringe contention. The Knicks don't qualify. They definitely shouldn't be giving up draft equity or youngsters for a 30-year-old guard.
Maybe consolidating smaller deals—Kemba, Nerlens Noel and Evan Fournier, for instance—into one carries some utility. Failing a scenario in which they're unloading the four years, $117 million remaining on Randle's pact, though, the Knicks shouldn't be trying to add another non-superstar who stands to gum up the playing-time pipeline.
Verdict: Sell McCollum's fit on the Knicks. Buy that they have interest in him anyway.
Indiana Preparing for a Rebuild?
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Major changes appear afoot in Indiana. Caris LeVert has already been sent to Cleveland for a package headlined by cap relief (Ricky Rubio's expiring contract) and three draft picks, and it doesn't sound like the Pacers are done wheeling and dealing.
Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner are "prominent in trade talks," according to Woj. Vague? Incredibly so. Telltale? Also yes.
Everyone has been waiting for the Pacers to undergo a facelift following a December report from Charania and Bob Kravitz that they were open to rebuilding. LeVert is the first of what should be many dominoes to fall.
Whether this move infers a willingness to start over is a separate matter. Team governor Herb Simon sounded against the idea of a wholesale rebuild in December. Maybe the 87-year-old will change his mind.
It is likewise hard to envision anyone meeting the Pacers' asking price for Sabonis. They "require a package commensurate with the haul Orlando received for Nikola Vucevic," according to Fischer.
Few teams are in position to cough up the equivalent of a lottery pick, quality prospect, another first-rounder and take back unwanted salary (Al-Farouq Aminu) for a big man best suited to serve as the offensive hub. And Indiana, for its part, has little incentive to settle. Sabonis is 25 and has two years left on his deal, and he's even more pivotal to the offense after the Pacers flipped LeVert for a player who won't take the floor this season.
Turner has always loomed as the more likely trade candidate. What he does best—space the floor and protect the hoop—is scalable to more situations. But he hasn't played since Jan. 14 after suffering a left foot injury. They're better off waiting to reevaluate his market over the offseason if no team is currently ponying up multiple firsts for a player with a yet-to-be-disclosed timetable for return.
Other moves are on the horizon regardless. Both Justin Holiday and Torrey Craig will draw interest from teams looking to plug smaller holes, and Indy's commitment to the bigger picture suggests a willingness to reroute Rubio for less-savory salary attached to draft compensation. In the end, though, there's a chance moving LeVert is the biggest move they actually make.
Verdict: Buy the Pacers being open for business. Sell the team being dead set on a full-scale rebuild.
Toronto Willing to Aggressively Buy?
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Remember when, over the offseason, the Toronto Raptors were popularized as potential sellers?
L-O-L.
Toronto is headed in the exact opposite direction, according to Scotto. Most recently, it has "expressed interest in trading for several centers, including Jakob Poeltl, Myles Turner, Robert Williams, Nicolas Claxton and Jusuf Nurkic." Scotto also hears the team has eyes for Danilo Gallinari.
Any attempts to reunite with Poeltl or grab Turner, specifically, speak volumes about how the Raptors view their immediate outlook. The San Antonio Spurs want a "first-round pick and quality player" for their rim-protecting sleuth, per Stein. You don't consider giving up either one unless you're serious about going for it now.
Related: The Raptors have cause to go for it now.
They have clawed their way to sixth place in the Eastern Conference while significantly tightening up their defense, and the top of their roster screams "ready." Fred VanVleet is an All-Star. Pascal Siakam probably deserved a nod over Khris Middleton. OG Anunoby looks fabulous in a streamlined offensive role. Gary Trent Jr. has been lethal at both ends. Chris Boucher has rediscovered most of his mojo over the past month-plus.
Oh: The Raptors are also outscoring opponents by 8.4 points per 100 possessions when Anunoby, Siakam, Trent and VanVleet share the floor. They're for real. And top-heavy.
VanVleet, Siakam and Anunoby rank first, second and third, respectively, in minutes per game. Scottie Barnes is eighth. Any move that deepens the rotation beyond their top six players stands to make a massive difference.
Verdict: Buy the Raptors operating as aggressive buyers.
Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Stathead or Cleaning the Glass and accurate entering Monday's games. Salary information via Spotrac.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and listen to his Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by NBA Math's Adam Fromal.
