Report: The Denver Nuggets And Toronto Raptors Are Frontrunners In Acquiring James Harden.

The Houston Rockets continue to search for an organization to trade James Harden and are at the point where his demands are now blurred. According to various sources, the Houston Rockets are more focused on acquiring a trade for themselves rather than granting what Harden wants, which is to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets. While this should not come as a surprise, every NBA organization will always pick themselves before the star player. From DeMar DeRozan to Isaiah Thomas, many organizations in the NBA are viewed as heartless or selfish when, in reality, they are merely doing what they think is the best solution in eventually winning a championship. The Toronto Raptors were victorious as they won a championship in 2019 with Kawhi Leonard; however, the Boston Celtics ended up losing more when they attained Kyrie Irving from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Houston Rockets have attempted to grant Harden’s wish to join the Brooklyn Nets, but negotiations ended up failing, which led to Harden expanding his list of teams he would be interested in being traded. However, Houston is in a situation where the locker room has become toxic with Harden and is at a point where he simply needs to be traded. While past negotiations with various Eastern Conference organizations have ended, the Denver Nuggets and Toronto Raptors have emerged as the top candidates in trading for James Harden. 

In the last couple of seasons, the Toronto Raptors have made a name for themselves and have become one of the more relevant organizations in the NBA. Since 2014, the Raptors are among the best-run organizations in sports, from their championship victory to consistently making the playoffs. When factoring their location and marketability, general manager Masai Ujiri has managed to build a roster through the draft while trading for players that had no value at the time but a lot of potential in eventually making an All-Star appearance. A prime example would be Kyle Lowry, a player that went from barely averaging double-digit numbers in his first four years of his career to now being regarded as one of the best point guards in the NBA today! Masai Ujiri has also managed to build a roster great enough to eventually contend for a championship through the draft. In fact, most of the players currently on the Raptors have been drafted or undrafted by the organization. These players consist of Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, OG Anunoby, Terrence Davis, Chris Boucher, Matt Thomas, and Malachi Flynn. Why is all of this information relevant to a James Harden trade? 

Masai Ujiri is an aggressive general manager who has made some exceptional trades since joining the Raptors front office in 2007. This suggests that he will most likely lure the Houston Rockets in a trade that does not consist of Pascal Siakam or Fred VanVleet. While no trade has been confirmed, the best-case scenario in successfully trading for James Harden that does not include Siakam or VanVleet would be Kyle Lowry, Norman Powell, OG Anunoby, two unprotected first-round picks, and two unprotected second-round picks for James Harden and Ben McLemore. Trading four future picks does hurt the Raptors future, but trading Kyle Lowry will be more devastating for Raptor fans across the globe. However, if trading Kyle Lowry means attaining James Harden, then Raptor fans will most likely get over it rather quickly. 

While Toronto has been in the conversation to attain James Harden since he requested a trade, the Denver Nuggets emerge as a completely unexpected new organization interested in trading for the former MVP. When assessing the Denver Nuggets currently, Nikola Jokic has made a case for being the best center in the NBA as he has led his team to the playoffs for two seasons while always ending a series with a fight regardless of a win or lose outcome. Last season, the Denver Nuggets came back twice from a 3-1 deficit and took the Los Angeles Lakers to five games in the Conference Finals, which is a great accomplishment considering how young and inexperienced Denver is. Denver enters this season with more experience and development as Jamal Murray has finally reached his prime and will only get better. The dynamic duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic should not be taken lightly in the NBA as they are arguably a top-five duo entering this season! However, the rest of the roster is just as incredible as Denver currently has one of the deepest rosters in the NBA, which means more trade assets to trade for a player like James Harden. Like Toronto, no trade has been confirmed, but Denver has publicly stated that Jamal Murray is not an option and is willing to create a package revolving around Micheal Porter Jr. 

As previously mentioned, the Denver Nuggets managed to make the Conference Finals in a competitive Western Conference in just their second year of making a playoff appearance. Denver is a dangerous team. Suppose they can successfully trade for James Harden without trading away Jamal Murray. In that case, the Denver Nuggets could hold the best regular-season record in the 2020-21 season while being valid contenders for the Larry O’Brien trophy. Denver is an extremely young team that has the potential to become the next dynasty in the NBA. If they trade for James Harden, their dynasty aspirations will accelerate dramatically. The Nuggets would most likely average the best offensive numbers in the NBA while making it to at least the Conference Finals for a second straight season. Even though Harden in the East would make the NBA more balanced, the idea of James Harden joining two offensive monsters in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray would most likely be enough to compete against the Los Angeles Lakers. For a trade to happen without giving up Jamal Murray or Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets would trade Michael Porter Jr, Will Barton, RJ Hampton, Gary Harris, two unprotected first and second-round picks for James Harden and Ben McLemore. 

This is a very one-sided trade as the Houston Rockets would be easily losing this trade. The only way that Denver would be able to attain James Harden is if Jamal Murray is attached, which is not an option. Even though Denver does present itself as the better fit that compliments James Harden, the Toronto Raptors have the better offer and a greater chance at trading for James Harden unless the Nuggets are willing to trade Jamal Murray. However, which organization in the NBA holds the best offer for the Houston Rockets to consider?