James Harden’s Future In Brooklyn
Much has been reported about James Harden and his future with the Brooklyn Nets.
Due to all of the uncertainties regarding this roster right now with Kevin Durant, Joe Harris and LaMarcus Aldridge being sidelined due to injuries, rumors about James Harden’s disappointments and frustrations with the Nets organization have been created.
It is certainly a frustrating situation that Harden finds himself in, but he is not the only member of the Nets that is on the edge of their seat right now. In the span of two weeks, Brooklyn has gone from being at the top of the Eastern Conference standings to falling all the way down to the 7-seed and in the play-in tournament region.
There is certainly a level of truth to the James Harden rumors being created, but sources have told NBA Analysis Network that the Brooklyn Nets have no level of interest in trading James Harden ahead of the deadline.
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His future though is still in doubt depending on what happens this season and if Kyrie Irving is willing to become a full-time player instead of a part-time “road” player. Harden holds a $47 million player option for the 2022-23 season, one that he is expected to opt out of as of right now to become an unrestricted free agent.
This does not mean that he will not return to the Nets on a new contract, but James Harden has voiced before that testing the waters in free agency would be fun, as he has never actually been a free agent throughout his 13 years in the NBA.
When asked about the potential of the team trading James Harden ahead of the trade deadline recently, Nets’ head coach Steve Nash was very quick to shoot down any speculation and stated that the organization has zero interest in trading the former league MVP.
Injuries always seem like an excuse for struggling teams in the league, but including James Harden being sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Nets are down four starters. Kyrie Irving, go figure, is the only starter currently healthy for Brooklyn, which is a large part of why they have struggled in recent weeks.
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It also does not help that Kevin Durant, who at the time was the MVP-frontrunner this season, has been out with a sprained left MCL since January 15.
The Brooklyn Nets are still very much a championship contender in the NBA this season, but if they fail to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, James Harden could turn his attention to possibly joining the Philadelphia 76ers in the offseason, the only other team that could potentially make a move for him.
