Among several reports of Harden’s tension and discontent with the franchise, the Rockets have still not given in and moved the former league MVP. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, this predicament “has a chance to carry on into the foreseeable future,” with no trade offers coming close to their hefty asking price.
Speculation looms large whether the team will continue to try and repair the fractured relationship with their star player or if he will get his wish to be traded. If the Houston Rockets go with the latter, here are three assets they should be targeting in return.
Porter’s NBA career got off to a rough start as he missed the entirety of his rookie season in 2018-19 due to a back injury. The following year, he showed substantial potential primarily as a piece off the bench, and that paved the way for a big year in 2020-21.
As a full-time starter, the 22-year-old has been fantastic to start this season, averaging 19.5 points on .566/.423/.875 shooting splits with 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Porter has also impacted defensively in the early going, having averaged 1.5 blocks and a single steal per game throughout the first four contests.
Denver is justifiably reluctant to include the forward in any trade packages, but for James Harden, it has to be compelling to some extent, given their woeful 1-4 start. If the Denver Nuggets decide they want to become a juggernaut in the Western Conference with a trade for Harden, Porter Jr. would certainly be a centerpiece in the deal. That would give the Houston Rockets a 22-year-old budding star and likely a considerable amount of draft compensation and salary filler to finally get Harden off the books.
Houston Rockets.</a></p>
<p>Among several reports of Harden’s tension and discontent with the franchise, the Rockets have still not given in and moved the former league MVP. <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/03/houston-rockets-3-assets-to-target-in-james-harden-trade/"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGArX1caCS4&feature=emb_title%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to <em>ESPN’s</em> Adrian Wojnarowski</a>, this predicament “has a chance to carry on into the foreseeable future,” with no trade offers coming close to their hefty asking price.</p>
<p>Speculation looms large whether the team will continue to try and repair the fractured relationship with their star player or if he will get his wish to be traded. If the Houston Rockets go with the latter, here are three assets they should be targeting in return.</p>
<h2>No. 3 Michael Porter Jr. – Denver Nuggets</h2>
<p><a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/03/houston-rockets-3-assets-to-target-in-james-harden-trade/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/portemi01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Michael Porter Jr.</a> is one of the league’s ascending stars, and that makes him an intriguing target for the Houston Rockets in any potential returning package for James Harden. Indeed, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/03/houston-rockets-3-assets-to-target-in-james-harden-trade/"https://www.denverpost.com/2020/12/22/nuggets-jamal-murray-james-harden-trade-rumor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Singer of The Denver Post</a> reported that the Rockets are targeting Porter in any deal with the Denver Nuggets, but traction has been virtually nonexistent.</p>
<p>Porter’s NBA career got off to a rough start as he missed the entirety of his rookie season in 2018-19 due to a back injury. The following year, he showed substantial potential primarily as a piece off the bench, and that paved the way for a big year in 2020-21.</p>
<p>As a full-time starter, the 22-year-old has been fantastic to start this season, averaging 19.5 points on .566/.423/.875 shooting splits with 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Porter has also impacted defensively in the early going, having averaged 1.5 blocks and a single steal per game throughout the first four contests.</p>
<p>Denver is justifiably reluctant to include the forward in any trade packages, but for James Harden, it has to be compelling to some extent, given their woeful 1-4 start. If the Denver Nuggets decide they want to become a juggernaut in the Western Conference with a trade for Harden, Porter Jr. would certainly be a centerpiece in the deal. That would give the Houston Rockets a 22-year-old budding star and likely a considerable amount of draft compensation and salary filler to finally get Harden off the books.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/03/houston-rockets-3-assets-to-target-in-james-harden-trade/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Jaylen Brown </a>
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<img class="wp-image-419294 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/03/houston-rockets-3-assets-to-target-in-james-harden-trade/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1128545876.jpeg" alt="Houston Rockets: James Harden, Boston Celtics: Jaylen Brown" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1128545876.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1128545876-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
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<h2>No. 2 – Jaylen Brown – Boston Celtics</h2>
<p>According to <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/03/houston-rockets-3-assets-to-target-in-james-harden-trade/"https://theathletic.com/2284237/2020/12/24/james-harden-trade-rumors-news-celtics-blazers-added-to-preferred-trade-destinations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>The Athletic’s</em> Kelly Iko and Sam Amick</a>, the Boston Celtics are on James Harden’s list of preferred trade destinations. That proclamation should at least warrant a conversation between Danny Ainge and the Houston Rockets. If the Celtics were to entertain the idea, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone would likely start the conversation off with one name: <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/03/houston-rockets-3-assets-to-target-in-james-harden-trade/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/brownja02.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Jaylen Brown</a>.</p>
<p>The 24-year-old guard is a rising two-way star in the league today, and he has been red-hot to start the 2020-21 season. In five games, Brown has averaged 27.5 points on a .569/.375/.677 slash line with 5.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. While the Rockets are not going to get equal value in any realistic Harden scenario, Brown would be a phenomenal piece to add to their roster.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="light" data-text="Boston Celtics: Breaking down hypothetical trade for James Harden" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2020/12/30/boston-celtics-trade-james-harden/" data-call-to-action="Related Story"> <div class="story-link-related"> <a class="story-link-related-btn" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-related-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/03/houston-rockets-3-assets-to-target-in-james-harden-trade/"https://hoopshabit.com/2020/12/30/boston-celtics-trade-james-harden/"> <span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span> Boston Celtics: Breaking down hypothetical trade for James Harden </a> </div>
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<p>Having just kicked off his fifth NBA season, Brown’s potential remains through the roof. If the Rockets can get a player of his caliber in a deal for their disgruntled superstar, it would certainly make it far easier to finally part ways with him.</p>
<p>Time will tell how serious the Boston Celtics are about making a move for James Harden. It appears that there has been little to no momentum on a deal at this time, especially given how well Brown is playing.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/03/houston-rockets-3-assets-to-target-in-james-harden-trade/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Ben Simmons </a>
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<span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Houston Rockets: James Harden trade and other must-follow storylines </a> </div>
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