Would the Houston Rockets really trade James Harden to the Mavericks?

The Houston Rockets are expanding their search to find a landing spot for James Harden. Would they consider trading him to the Dallas Mavericks?

The Miami Heat are reportedly out of the running for Houston Rockets’ star James Harden. However, Harden remains a hot commodity as teams look to bolster their championship odds.

The Dallas Mavericks, anchored by Luka Doncic, have championship aspirations but are a little short on firepower. Could they look to throw their hat into the James Harden sweepstakes?

The Mavericks have not stood idly by this offseason after finishing last season with the league’s best offense and the western conference’s seventh-best record. The team enters the 2020-21 season with lofty expectations and is an early-season dark horse pick for the finals.

As currently constructed, the Mavericks aren’t quite up to the standard of other championship hopefuls but a James Harden sized addition would quickly change that. A backcourt that features Harden and Doncic would be unstoppable and could blow away the historic offense they posted last season.

The Rockets have said they’re willing to get uncomfortable but would they be willing to send James Harden to the Mavericks? Intra-division trades are rare but the Rockets won’t let bad blood prevent them from landing the best return for Harden.

There are a million reasons for the Mavericks to go after Harden, but there is an equal number to let someone else pursue his services. The three questions for the Mavericks and Rockets are; do the Mavericks think Harden is the missing piece, can they offer enough to entice the Rockets, and would they have enough left to be serious contenders?

Next: Is Harden the missing piece?