Breaking: James Harden Has Requested A Trade And Wants To Be Traded To The Brooklyn Nets. Is Trading Away An Entire Depth Worth James Harden?

With the Houston Rockets continuing to have roster implications, it has been officially announced that James Harden wants to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets. According to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle, here is what he has informed about James Harden's future. 

“But Harden wants to move on from the Rockets, the Chronicle has been informed, and is trying to force his way via trade to Brooklyn, allowing The Beard to form the NBA's next superteam and rejoin forces with former Oklahoma City teammate Kevin Durant.”

Less than 24 hours ago, this was just a fun rumour for fans to converse about; however, this is now more serious of a trade than any news in the NBA! The idea of James Harden joining Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn would become one of the greatest offensive teams the NBA has ever seen while crowning Brooklyn as the favourites in making the Finals. However, this trio presents many flaws and restrictions as the Nets would find it challenging to sign depth while also having liability on the defensive side. With Harden and Irving being mediocre perimeter defenders while also being extremely ball-dominant, it would be difficult for the Nets to orchestrate offensive plays when both guards have strong personalities. James Harden is in the root of his prime, meaning that he would most likely refuse to literally take a step back to better the team. Last season, this was displayed as Russell Westbrook, and James Harden preferred the spotlight over sacrificing some offensive possessions. Hero basketball and isolation basketball will never win a championship, hence why the James Harden project in Houston failed to no avail. By joining Brooklyn in the Eastern Conference, James Harden needs to realize that he needs to take a role similar to Klay Thompson if this trio wants to be successful. 

Since joining the NBA, Kyrie Irving, for some reason, has succumbed to the role of point guard when in actuality, Irving is more of a shooting guard considering the type of basketball he plays. Traditionally, a point guard orchestrates plays for the team while usually being the loudest voice on the court. However, basketball has evolved as the idea of a point guard playmaking is not as important as it once was, and instead, three-point shooting is more considered. Irving has the ability to play make when it is desperately required in certain situations, but he is mostly an offensive threat that can create his own shot while possessing the greatest ball handle and dribbling since Allen Iverson. His ability to create space and break the defence is incredible and is the definition of poetry in motion. These are the reasons why Kyrie Irving should be the shooting guard of the Brooklyn Nets if James Harden gets traded. Both Irving and Harden are very similar players as their strengths on the offensive end are almost identical, with the exception of Harden mastering the step-back and Irving mastering the art of ball handling. The key difference between these players is that James Harden can play make effectively while Irving cannot. This is the main reason why James Harden should be the point guard while taking a slight step back on the offensive end while Kyrie Irving should be the shooting guard of the Brooklyn Nets. He may undersized at that position at 6'2; however, Bradley Beal and CJ McCullum, who are both 6'3, have excelled while being undersized at the shooting guard position. 

For the Brooklyn Nets to accomplish a trade of James Harden, they would need to sacrifice virtually their entire rotation except for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Another option that Brooklyn has is to consider trading Kyrie Irving for James Harden, but that is a terrible idea, especially when factoring in future potential, contract and age. The best offer that Brooklyn can propose to the Houston Rockets is Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris Levert, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, and an unprotected 2021 first-round pick. This trade provides a third star in Brooklyn while also providing a fresh start in Houston. The best aspect of this trade is that the Rockets would still possess Russell Westbrook while having a terrific rotation. Houston would still be a contender for the playoffs while also having a reasonably young core that Brooklyn provided. This trade makes sense for Houston but not so much Brooklyn as they would attain another ball-dominant player that could ruin the roster's chemistry. Throughout the years, James Harden has had great teammates, including Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, who are all future first-ballot Hall Of Famers. During their tenure with Harden, they received the most blame while Harden appeared to be the innocent one. Is it time that maybe we should start blaming James Harden for the many failed attempts of never leading the Houston Rockets to the NBA finals? 

This trade might appear to be great for both organizations, but in reality, this trade is very one-sided. With Houston attaining virtually the entire depth of Brooklyn, the Nets should not make this trade and instead should either wait and see what their roster could do when healthy or pursue a cheaper option. The Brooklyn Nets have still yet to play together as a healthy unit, hence why they should be patient in making a decision like this. Whether it is James Harden or Bradley Beal, it is not worth trading the entire roster for the sake of a third offensive-oriented player when they already possess two of the best offensive threats in the NBA today! Trading for James Harden will end the Brooklyn Nets chances of making the NBA finals and possibly winning a championship unless Harden is willing to take a lesser role. If he can play more off the ball while being the primary playmaker, the Nets would undoubtedly be the best team in the NBA regardless of depth.