The Houston Rockets could soon face a potential reality that involves needing to trade Russell Westbrook and James Harden— similar to the Oklahoma City Thunder last summer. Which teams around the NBA could make a play for Harden?
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, and Philadelphia 76ers are all teams that have the necessary assets to be able to pull off a trade for Harden.
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Each of those teams has a combination of NBA Draft assets along with players who could intrigue the Rockets in the event of a rebuild. They each are all seeking to make an aggressive push to win a championship in the short-term and Harden would certainly bolster their unit.
Based on the nature of the Rockets organization, it doesn’t seem the team would make a move to blow up the team without first being presented with a trade demand from James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Houston can be competitive next season and a drastic change isn’t needed.
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If the Rockets were to move James Harden, it’s fascinating to think about how much damage he could do in the Eastern Conference. He has torn up a loaded Western Conference for many years but ran into road blocks like the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers en route to the NBA Finals.
While there would be a much cleaner path to the NBA Finals for James Harden in the Eastern Conference, a loaded team in the opposite conference could outclass opponents by adding his talents. But would the Houston Rockets allow that type of trade to occur?
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