Rockets All-Star guard James Harden, the talk of this young 2020-21 season for a variety of reasons, has apparently expanded his wish list of NBA trade destinations to include the Trail Blazers and Celtics, according to Kelly Iko and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
The Nets, Sixers, Heat and Bucks were the four teams Harden has previously prioritized above any others as teams for which he would like to play. The Heat have reportedly paused cursory talks surrounding a Harden trade, apparently balking at the Rockets’ asking price. The Bucks are also not expected to pursue Harden.
Finding salaries to match Harden’s in a trade is no small feat. The 31-year-old has two guaranteed years remaining on his current max contract, and he holds a $47.4M player option for the 2022-23 season.
The Trail Blazers, led by All-Star point guard Damian Lillard and talented shooting guard C.J. McCollum, impressed on their run to the 2019 Western Conference. Although he has yet to make an All-Star team, the 23-year-old McCollum could be the kind of high-level scoring target around which Portland could begin build a trade. Last season, with Lillard clearly the focal point of Portland’s offense, McCollum averaged 22.2 points, 4.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks while posting a shooting line of .451/.379/.757.
The Celtics have appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals for three of the last four seasons. All-Star forward Jayson Tatum is most likely untouchable in any Harden deal, but versatile 24-year-old forward Jaylen Brown, who has emerged as a two-way force, might appeal to Houston.
Iko and Amick note that the Rockets have talked with teams that are not on Harden’s list of preferred landing spots. The Nuggets are among this group. Denver has not made star guard Jamal Murray available in trade discussions yet, but the Rockets remain intrigued by second-year forward Michael Porter Jr.
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