Fear The Beard: The Saga
By Noah Powell
The start of the new NBA season is finally on the horizon. With the preseason underway and free agency over, usually all that’s left to do is mark off the days on your calendar until opening night. But one player has the attention of NBA fans everywhere, as one of the league's biggest stars does not quite have a definitive home.
That star is James Harden.
Let’s take this back to the beginning. All was well in Houston until star point guard Russell Westbrook wanted out. A big deal, but not super tremendous because Harden wanted to stay with Houston and make things work there. Then days passed and Harden declined a record contract extension reportedly worth $50+ million a year. Not a great sign for Houston. Then just like that, Harden made his request to get traded to the Brooklyn Nets.
Hearing about the potential move that would have Harden team up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving shook the league. But to all of the title contenders' relief, the two franchises could never reach an agreement.
Then suddenly, boom!
James Harden participated in the Rockets preseason games. (NBA.com)
The Rockets finally made a splash and traded disgruntled Westbrook to the Washington Wizards in return for point guard John Wall. This move was most likely done to make Harden decide to stay around as he and Wall would compliment each other better in the backcourt.
After the trade for Wall and the signing of DeMarcus Cousins, there was finally peace of mind in Houston… Until Harden didn't show up to any preseason practices and expanded his trade destinations to include the Milwaukee Bucks, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat.
This all brings us up to speed with the current situation as Harden remains in Houston and has participated in the team’s preseason games.
Now, what is Houston supposed to do?
First and foremost, a trade to Brooklyn needs to be removed from everyone’s lists. It’s just not happening. The Nets aren’t going to give up KD or Kyrie, and the Rockets aren’t going to accept Caris LeVert and Joe Harris.
Second, now that they re-signed Giannis Antetokounmpo to the supermax, the Bucks should offer any package they possibly could containing Khris Middleton and others not named Atnetokounmpo. Jrue Holiday, Harden and Giannis would be a deadly big three. With the Bogdanovic trade falling through for the Bucks, they should re-offer all the players that were a part of that deal -- Donte DiVincenzo, D.J. Wilson and Ersan Ilyasova -- to the Houston Rockets for Harden. More than likely, the Rockets would want picks in exchange for Harden as well and the Bucks must be kicking themselves for giving three first-rounders to New Orleans for Holiday. So a trade here is unlikely.
Now we have the Miami Heat. We’ll keep this one straight to the point. The Rockets wanted Tyler Herro in a package, and the Heat refused… Yes, Herro is a great young player who helped them tremendously down the stretch to reach the finals. Still, I think you can say getting Harden for Herro is a little bit of an upgrade, right? You just can never doubt Pat Riley. Heat, no go.
The best destination for Harden, before the trade for Wall, would have been the 76ers. Swapping Simmons and Harden, and then moving Westbrook for another piece that fits with Simmons would have been ideal. But now after getting Wall, Simmons doesn’t quite fit in. Now the Rockets can go after Embiid, but I don’t believe the 76ers would be willing to move him as he shows the most upside between him and Simmons. 76ers, out of the picture.
This now leaves the Houston Rockets scratching their heads. There doesn’t seem to be anywhere to move Harden to get equal value, but he doesn’t want to be there.
Now what?
Harden does have two years on his contract, and there is solid talent on this roster so the Rockets can slow play this. Harden isn’t likely to hold-out, so some early success can convince him to stay, although his potential departure wouldn’t be great to have looming over the heads of his teammates.
On the other hand, if the season does not go as planned to start, then Harden could demand out immediately. This would be extremely detrimental because teams around the league would have the upper hand in the trades negotiations, and the Rockets would lose tremendous value.
In a league where players get whatever they want, whenever they want, the Rockets have protected their castle valiantly. Unfortunately, it seems that it can only survive one last blow until it all comes crashing down.
I believe the best chance for the Rockets to protect their castle is to ease into the season, but move Harden with a comfortable amount of time before the trade deadline. This will allow them to best evaluate their situations and potentially get better offers as other teams' needs change as the season goes on.
Final Verdict: James Harden will not be a Rocket after the trade deadline.
Noah is a sports writer for La Tonique.
