Teams considering a potential move for Houston Rockets star James Harden are also grappling with his status as a disruptor, among other things.
Harden is one of the most gifted scorers of this generation. He has led the NBA in value over replacement player (VORP) in each of the past two seasons while also winning three consecutive scoring titles.
But multiple executives told Sam Amick of The Athletic they question the true value in trading for Harden, and whether such a move would be a positive for any given organization:
“It just f–ks up your whole organization,” said one high-ranking official from a team that has pondered the Harden possibility.
“Harden is a terrific scorer, but not a champion,” said another front office executive. “He isn’t a two-way player and (he’s) hard to play with. …He is so used to getting his own way, I think there are concerns he can negatively affect a team’s culture.”
The “culture” element is developing into a concern, especially after ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported Harden dominated and largely presided over a toxic Rockets culture.
MacMahon reported Harden advocated for trading the likes of Dwight Howard and Chris Paul while also forcing former head coach Kevin McHale out when he did not comply with Harden's wishes.
Then again, Harden can also “eff” an interested organization in other ways, most notably the assets interested suitors will have to part with just to sniff a deal.
Houston is likely to seek unparalleled draft compensation in the event the Rockets choose to move Harden. In essence, teams might have to decide whether acquiring Harden is worth the risk or not of losing immense draft capital.
The Rockets do not appear to have interest in trading Harden at present. Even if they do look to move “The Beard” front offices around the league appear to be souring on Harden's character.
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