3 reasons the Rockets should trade James Harden for Bradley Beal

2. Beal and John Wall already have chemistry

To say that James Harden and John Wall haven’t exactly been a fit on the court would be a major understatement, as they haven’t been able to play off of one another. Granted, it was always going to be an adjustment phase for Harden, with Wall being a true, pure point guard who looks to get others involved, and Harden being a ball-dominant player and having grown dependent on an isolation style of play.

Harden has never been an off-ball player, although Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas has configured an offensive approach that is predicated on ball movement, which is the opposite of what Harden has thrived at in the past. This means that Harden would have to be fully committed to making it work and tailoring his game to fit the gameplan crafted by Silas, but Harden has been disinterested this season and hasn’t been nearly as involved and/or active when Wall has the ball in his hands.

The chemistry is visibly missing between the two, and Beal wouldn’t have that problem, as he and Wall shared the court together for seven seasons, and helped the Wizards make four postseason appearances under two different coaches. The Wizards even reached the Conference Semifinals in three of those trips, and were led by Beal and Wall.

The two guards would thrive in the approach employed by Silas, and their brotherhood off the court ensures the two will commit to making it work, unlike Harden’s unwillingness to attempt to build chemistry with Wall. Speaking of chemistry, Harden thrived under Wizards coach Scott Brooks previously and would be reunited with Russell Westbrook yet again, who he has remained close friends with since childhood.

You may be thinking that Westbrook wouldn’t welcome the idea of Harden, since there were reported frustrations that Westbrook had in Houston, but the frustrations he had were with Houston’s reported culture of a lack of accountability, mainly due to Daryl Morey and Mike D’Antoni, who are no longer in Houston and are obviously not in Washington.

Chemistry-wise both teams would get better by swapping Harden for Beal.

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