3 reasons trading James Harden would be the Rockets’ biggest mistake

2. The rumored trade targets will likely never reach Harden’s level

Players like Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers have been mentioned in a possible Harden trade, among several other players. Whenever a trade is made involving a bonafide superstar, the team trading the superstar is usually not going to get equal value back.

This is because the team that gets the best player essentially always wins the deal, as no sum of parts can equate to a superstar. This is especially the case in the current era of the NBA, as there are a limited amount of superstars.

Now apply that logic to James Harden, who is a bonafide MVP candidate every year. The chances of getting equal value in return for Harden is almost non-existent. Harden is 31-years-old and has a massive contract, as he’s inked to a supermax deal.

For these reasons, among many others, most teams aren’t going to trade a Luka Doncic for Harden, despite how great Harden is.

Even if each team in the league was interested in Harden, how many of those teams have a player one would take right now over Harden? Those players are few and far between, and none of those players are currently available.

As mentioned earlier, Harden isn’t just an All-Star or a top-three player, he’s a once in a generation type of player. Unless the Houston Rockets see a major drop off in his play, they shouldn’t trade a player of Harden’s caliber.

Next: No. 1