No. 1 — Brooklyn Nets
The obvious choice for James Harden is to return to the Brooklyn Nets on a new deal in the offseason. Just because he may opt out of his current contract does not mean that he will not be willing to sign a new one with the Nets.
Fully-healthy and playing every single night together, the All-Star trio of Durant, Irving and Harden would be almost impossible to contain, but the problem is that all three of these guys have barely played together with the Nets and it does not seem like they will be moving forward.
Kyrie Irving has stood very firm on his stance of not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and unless New York City is willing to change their guidelines in the near future, he is ineligible to play in home regular season games, home playoff games, and potentially home games during the 2022-23 season and beyond.
When he first decided to come to Brooklyn via a trade from Houston, James Harden knew that he would have to sacrifice his own self-production and change for the better of the team, but it does seem like he has been the only member of the “Big 3” to do so.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Could Sixers Actually Pull Off James Harden Acquisition?
Kevin Durant is still the same “alpha” scorer that he has been his entire career and Kyrie Irving’s selfishness has seemed to play a role in Harden’s frustrations with the Nets.
Multiple times since Irving’s return to play, James Harden has spoken out saying that the team needs more from Kyrie and due to Kyrie Irving constantly being in and out, it is said that Harden has grown frustrated with Steve Nash’s ever-changing rotations.
The lack of stability within the Nets organization right now is the main reason for any frustrations James Harden may have, but a championship would surely change his opinion.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Could Sixers Actually Pull Off James Harden Acquisition?
Winning the Eastern Conference and possibly winning the Nets’ first championship ever with Irving being a “part-time” player could very well squash any rumors of Harden leaving the team in the offseason.
There is still a lot of basketball to be played this season and anything can happen between now and the playoffs, but if free agency was to begin next week, it is hard to imagine that James Harden would be leaving the Brooklyn Nets.
