Rockets: Three three-team trades that send James Harden to a contender

James Harden has had his trade requests rebuffed by the Houston Rockets but could his recent antics see the team decide to move on from the former MVP. These are three three-team trades that could work for all sides.

Houston Rockets’ superstar James Harden has not been able to stay out of the news. He was seen partying in Las Vegas, before appearing at rapper Lil Baby’s birthday party in Atlanta, and has yet to report to scheduled training camp workouts.

The former MVP will have to quarantine and his recent behavior casts doubt over his seriousness about staying with the Rockets. If the franchise has had enough of his antics could they look to move on from their last remaining superstar?

The Rockets are at a crossroads as a franchise. Everything they’ve built over the past eight seasons has been designed to get the most out of franchise icon James Harden.

Yet Harden remains unhappy with the direction of the franchise and seems intent on finding his way out of Houston to compete for the one thing his resume lacks a championship. He has made it known that his preferred landing spot is the Brooklyn Nets but it’s likely that a move to any contender would appease him.

Under contract for two more seasons before a player option, Harden is not in a strong position to make demands, which gives Houston leverage in any trade negotiations. Houston’s strong negotiation position has proved to be a double-edged sword.

The primary reason Harden remains in Houston is because of a lack of credible offers for his services. A player of Harden’s talents with two years on their contract does not get traded without a massive return and the early favorites to secure him, the Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, simply are not willing to depart with enough to convince the Rockets to pull the trigger.

It is becoming increasingly likely that any potential Harden trade won’t be a simple swap and will require a third team to facilitate a deal. These are three three-team trades that could get the Rockets the return they deserve, while also sending Harden to a contender.

Next: Trade no. 3

Trade no. 3: Brooklyn Nets & New Orleans Pelicans

If the Brooklyn Nets want James Harden and Kyrie Irving on the same team then they’ll have to get creative to secure a deal. The Pelicans could come in and provide the Rockets with the sweeteners that they want while also providing a landing spot for salary to make a deal work.

The Nets will have to send Jarrett Allen, Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, and a few future first-round picks to the Rockets and Caris Lavert to the Pelicans. The Pelicans would then send the Bucks’ first-round picks, from the Jrue Holiday trade to the Rockets. Houston would only send Harden to the Nets and in the process net themselves a massive return of talent and assets.

The Bucks’ future first-round picks are lottery tickets that have the potential to be incredibly valuable. If Giannis Antetokounmpo resigns with the Bucks then the picks will be towards the end of the first round, but if he doesn’t then the picks have the potential to be much more valuable.

The Pelicans might want to hold onto them and might instead include some of their own picks but either way, this deal should net the Rockets four to five first-round picks. The incoming NBA talent for the Rockets would give them one of the league’s deepest rosters filled with a ton of valuable and movable contracts.

This trade lands Brooklyn the third star they’ve been looking for in Harden and gives them the greatest offensive trio in recent memory. Kevin Durant, Irving, and Harden can all create shots for themselves and others and should give the Nets the inside track on making it out of the Eastern Conference.

New Orleans for their troubles and their picks get Caris LeVert who fits their competitive timeline and will help offset the loss of Jrue Holiday. LeVert is a quality combo-guard whose ability to create shots for himself and others should help the Pelicans make a run at the postseason.

The Rockets might be losing their franchise icon but they’ll maintain a legitimate starting five with a chance to have one of the best bench units in the league. A starting lineup of John Wall, Dinwiddie, Danuel House, Christian Wood, and Jarrett Allen would remain competitive and give way to a bench unit led by Harris, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Gordon, and Ben McLemore.

Dinwiddie has the ability to be a lead option, although not one of the league’s best, Allen is a very intriguing young player, and Joe Harris is a career 42.4-percent 3-point shooter. The Rockets won’t be a better team but they will be strong enough top to bottom that they should remain in the playoff mix.

Harris’s contract is for four years and $72 million which will make moving him more difficult but in a world where Davis Bertans fetches $80 million over five-years and Danilo Gallinari signs for three-years and $61.4 million his contract is far from an albatross. The real coup is Jarrett Allen who projects as a very good pick and roll rim runner.

Allen just averaged 11.1 points and 9.6 rebounds a game on 64.9-percent shooting from the field. At 22-years-old and under contract for one more season at $3.9 million the Rockets will have to decide on his future quickly but it appears to be a bright one.

His game has some overlap with Christian Wood, but because of Wood’s ability to shoot from beyond the arc the two should be able to coexist on offense, and their pairing on defense could be fantastic. Allen is a true rim protector which is the biggest question mark surrounding Wood’s defense.

The Rockets could trot out a lineup with two 6’11 players and not lose their ability to defend the perimeter while absolutely owning the paint. The Rockets would look like a very different team in that case but it’d help solve two of their biggest issues from last season, defending the paint and rebounding the basketball.

However, the real value of this deal is that the Rockets will have players that can be easily moved for future assets, and with Harden out of Houston a rebuild could be on the horizon. Dinwiddie is owed $11.4 million this season before a $12.3 million player option, which means he’d be a valuable trade chip to any contender in need of some scoring punch and Harris is an elite 3-point shooter which is always in high demand.

The Rockets won’t get a marque prospect in this return but they’ll get good NBA veterans, draft picks, and a young player who can be elite in a specific role. This wouldn’t be my first choice if I were the Rockets but it could be the best deal available in an increasingly tense situation.

Next: Trade no. 2

Trade no. 2: Milwaukee Bucks & Cleveland Cavaliers:

The Bucks need to convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay in Milwaukee and there is no better way to do that than to have an offseason where you bring in both Jrue Holiday and James Harden. That trio would instantly vault the Bucks ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for title favorite and it’d give Harden a chance at a championship.

For this trade to work the Rockets and Bucks would need to get the Cleveland Cavaliers on the line. The deal would see the Bucks get Harden from the Rockets and Larry Nance Jr from the Cavaliers, the Rockets would get Khris Middleton from the Bucks and Kevin Love from the Cavs, and finally, the Cavaliers would receive Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker from the Rockets and Brook Lopez, Pat Connaughton, and Donte DiVincenzo from the Bucks.

This deal works for the Cavaliers because they get Love and Nance’s deals off the books and get in return one young interesting player in Divincenzo, three veterans who can be flipped for future assets in Lopez, Tucker, and Connaughton, and one bad contract in Eric Gordon.

The Bucks’ return of Harden and Nance makes them the most dangerous team in the Eastern Conference. Middleton is a good player but Harden is at a completely different level. A Giannis and Harden pick and roll was thought to only be possible in NBA2K.

Nance isn’t a household name but he is a solid frontcourt option that can do some of the things that the Bucks asked of Brook Lopez. Besides, Lopez’s rim protection is not nearly as valuable to the Bucks who have Antetokounmpo to defend the paint.

The Rockets’ return of Middleton and Love keeps them in the playoff conversation and should give the franchise time to determine where it’s headed. If the Rockets are good then they could play out Middleton, Love, and Wall’s contracts and see where they are in a few seasons.

If they’re bad? Middleton will be atop a whole host of teams’ wishlists and Love’s contract in a season or two won’t be the unmovable mess that it’s viewed as now. This deal isn’t the type of return the Rockets likely want but it keeps them in the playoff picture and gives them two movable contracts to help speed up a rebuild if they wish to go that route.

Next: Trade no. 1

Trade no. 1: LA Clippers & Sacramento Kings

This trade seems unlikely but every team makes out a bit better. The Rockets would send James Harden and Eric Gordon to the Clippers, the Clippers would send Paul George, Patrick Beverley, and Lou Williams to the Kings, and the Kings would send Buddy Heild, Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley, and a whole host of picks and pick-swaps to the Rockets.

In the short-term, the Rockets will be worse but over the long haul, this deal has the potential to greatly improve the franchise’s outlook after they lost a treasure-trove of assets to acquire Russell Westbrook. Bagley had an impressive rookie season before suffering through an injury obscured second-season but he could be a high-end frontcourt player in his prime.

Hield isn’t a great player but he is a good high volume 3-point shooter and his contract gets less expensive over time so it’s a contract that will only increase in value. Harrison Barnes’ contract is similar to Hield’s in that way, which means the Rockets could easily move the two down the line or reap more and more value from them as they get less expensive.

The Kings fresh off of extending De’Aaron Fox need a true superstar next to him if they want to make it into the West’s crowded playoff picture and Paul George would represent just that. The Kings snagging Beverley and Williams would give them a deep and multi-faceted backcourt that should allow them to secure their first playoff appearance since 2006.

The Clipper would be able to pair James Harden with Kawhi Leonard and solidify their chances at the finals. Leonard has stated that he doesn’t like being a primary ball-handler and Harden has plenty of experience running an offense.

The combination of Harden and Leonard would make the Clippers the favorites to make it out of the West. While both are exceptional scorers, the pair’s other strengths, Leonard’s defense and Harden’s passing, mask their partners’ deficiencies.

The Rockets’ return of players is not at the Anthony Davis trade’s level but they’ll get a similar draft package from the Kings. The Kings will throw in three future firsts and pick swaps to pry Paul George out of Los Angeles and the Clippers will send those picks to Rockets to get James Harden.

This massive move is really a Kings trade for Paul George and then the Clippers using that return to get James Harden. The Rockets might have to let one of the Kings picks stay in Los Angeles to pay the Clippers for taking on Eric Gordon’s contract.

This move sets the Rockets up to be competitive for the next few seasons while simultaneously building for the future. Hield and Barnes are not All-Stars but they’re good NBA players who are on contracts that will only get better.

If the Rockets want to get a fair return for James Harden they’ll need a third team to get involved to provide the talent and picks they’re demanding. The Rockets shouldn’t sell low but if Harden continues to be a no-show for training camp then their hand could be forced.