Houston Rockets: The 5 best trades for James Harden in the Eastern Conference

Houston Rockets’ star, James Harden, has expanded his trade list to include a bevy of Eastern Conference contenders. These are the five best deals for the Rockets.

The Houston Rockets and James Harden have seemingly come to terms with reality. The Rockets have acknowledged that Harden really does want to be traded, and Harden has come to terms that he can’t simply pick where he’ll end up.

For the Rockets this has to be viewed as a positive development. Since both parties are at an understanding, for now, they’ll need to weigh Harden’s desire to play for a contender and the Rockets’ rightful insistence on receiving a king’s ransom in return for him.

The primary reason that Harden remains a Rocket is that no team has shown any indication of actually paying full price for the three-time scoring champ. The return for a player of his quality starts with a young franchise cornerstone, followed by a side of solid players on rookie contracts, with a sprinkle of draft picks for the next half-decade to finish off the deal.

Most contenders don’t have all three of those things because most are veteran teams that have used their future assets to acquire their current roster. This leaves Harden and the Rockets in a difficult space, where what the two of them want are not usually compatible.

That being said, not every contender has maxed out their asset cupboard or is barren of young talent. Harden has expanded his trade horizons to include a multitude of contenders in the Eastern Conference.

Some are long shots and some could happen this afternoon if the team wants to blow up their roster to land one of the few true franchise-altering talents. These are the top five likeliest Eastern Conference trade destinations for James Harden.

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