Houston Rockets All-Star James Harden has heard his name in trade rumors quite a bit in recent days. Most accounts indicated that he was interested in playing for the Brooklyn Nets, and even more reports noted that the two sides had reached a verbal agreement.
That doesn't seem to be the case, however. In his recent article for the New York Post, Brian Lewis noted that the Rockets and Nets have not reached any sort of verbal agreement:
While there are reports circulating that the Nets and Rockets have reached a verbal agreement, sources have denied that is the case. Though most scenarios have the Nets parting with combinations of Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jarrett Allen and multiple first-round picks, they obviously don’t want to give up the farm.
At this point, it's not clear if a Harden-to-Brooklyn deal can work straight up. Houston is looking for quite a bit in return for such a prolific scorer. Brooklyn does have some assets at their disposal, as Lewis noted in his report for the New York Post. Ultimately, though, Harden is still under contract, leaving the Rockets with most of the leverage.
The Nets have had contact with the Rockets, it's true. At this point, though, nothing has been set in stone. Most experts believe the Rockets are looking for a star player in return for Harden, and the Nets seem to be unwilling to acquiesce so far. Simply asking for Kyrie Irving or Kevin Durant is a no-go, according to the New York Post.
ESPN's Kendrick Perkins, who was once a teammate of Harden and Durant with the Oklahoma City Thunder, expressed his opinion on this idea:
“The Rockets are not willing to give up their drop-top Rolls Royce and trade it in for a Camry. They want something else,” Perkins said in a recent on-air appearance, via the New York Post. “If they’re going to trade in their Rolls Royce, they want back a Ferrari.”
For now, it seems we'll have to wait and see if the Rockets and Nets can come together for a trade.
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