I hate harden, but I would do that trade. It would dramatically change the dynamic of the team, and I think in a good way. What I think would be the right approach though would be to let Harden initiate the offense in that setup most of the time, as Dame plays off the ball much more effectively than Harden. But, as someone else mentioned, think of how insanely lethal our second unit would be with Harden running it rather than CJ. Wow, we’d be a nearly unstoppable juggernaut offensively with that one two punch.
Let me clarify, that I would only do the trade in the OP or a trade of equal value he was proposing. That trade is so incredibly lopsided that you’re getting insane returns it would be astronomically foolish to pass something like that up. If a more even trade were required I would be quite a bit more hesitant, but would probably still do it.
You clear out anything necessary other than Dame and Nurk to make it happen, and you seriously consider Nurk. I dislike Harden probably more than any player in the league, but there's no denying his greatness. He'd eventually burn his bridges here, I suspect, but we'd be title contenders until he did. When you have a prime Dame, you should be doing everything to contend.
I'm talking about having a falling out. Harden drove away pretty much every "star" player that the Rockets have tried to put around him. Outside of LMA, which I don't think was Dame's fault at all, every star player we have brought into Portland has been in love with Dame. CJ Nurk Melo They're all extremely loyal to Dame. Basically family.
Portland doesn't buy enough refs to justify bringing Harden in....he can flop all day in red and black and won't get a call.
Think Sac might be a target. Bagley + Hield + picks for James might be a decent look. Bet Harde would hate it, but he has no say in this.
Wow, first of all the Rockets better be able to do way better than that. Second of all, Harden is showing that he will sit before he plays for a team he doesn't want to. Only contenders will bid on him. I know you don't like it but he has control.
He can say that he won't re-sign with Sacramento. Would the Kings be willing to give up that much for a rental of a disgruntled Harden? Doubt it.
Question for the more CBA knowledgable. A player sits out with multiple years left on his contract. Does the team have to pay him to retain his rights? If they say he is in breach of contract and refuse to pay him does he become a free agent? If the team can't retain his rights without paying him, that leaves them with no leverage!
His feelings maybe. The Drs said he was fine to play. Even Pops, who deserves a high degree of credibility, publicly said he could play.
No one has to. They just threaten it or show up and sleep walk through games. Pretty much when a star player demands a trade, the request is granted. See Jimmy Butler twice, Paul George twice, Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving, Kristaps Porzingis and the list goes on as you go back through time Vince Carter sat out games and played with little effort to get out of Toronto, Ray Allen forced the trade that sent him from Milwaukee to Seattle, Kobe did the opposite and had Shaq traded away, Stephon Marbury did it from Minny to Jersey at the height of his career, Garnett did it to get to Boston and he was the best Wolve of all time, Dennis Rodman forced the trade that got him on the Bulls, Charles Barkley forced the Sixers to trade him by turning down his effort and turning up his attitude. It goes back to Kareem and Wilt both doing it. The players have the power. No one has ever had to sit out a whole season and one of the only all NBAers to not get traded when making a demand and sitting games was Hakeem in the early 90s. The fact is, you want the best player on your team to want to be there or you want the best compensation you can get in a trade for him. Disgruntled players not only poison teams but a team's reaction to a trade demand can seriously poison all players' perception of that franchise, which can cause huge problems in free agency. Smart owners and GMs understand this and when a player demands a trade they move him as quick as possible so they get the most in return before opposing GMs feel they have the upper hand.
If a player sits out and can't give a good reason (injury) then the team does not have to pay him and they keep his rights. That might make it seem like a good idea for a team to call a players bluff but doing so seriously damages the team's reputation around the league with all of the players.
Harden has this season and next on his contract then can be a free agent and leave. People are saying three years but that is not true because he can opt out of the final year, the team has no control over that. Teams can technically fine players for not playing, but the player can just pull a Kawhi and not play because they are hurt/sore/etc. In practice if a player is sitting the team will trade him in a few weeks. Eventually the team gets sick of the headache and they hit a point where trade offers are not increasing in value.
