Getty James Harden #13 of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half of the NBA game at Footprint Center on February 01, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona.
The NBA trade deadline is just a few days away, so teams are making calls at a rapid pace, trying to improve their roster for the second half of the season.
So far, the biggest trade took place between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers, with the Cavaliers acquiring small forward Caris LeVert from the Pacers.
Fans who are expecting a superstar to be traded at this year’s trade deadline shouldn’t get their hopes up. Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden and Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook are the three stars who have been mentioned in trade rumors, but it doesn’t they will get moved for a variety of reasons.
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has set too high of a price for Simmons, while Westbrook is making $44 million this season and his subpar play with the Lakers has scared teams. Meanwhile, it looks like the Nets want to keep Harden despite rumors going around that the one-time MVP is upset in Brooklyn.
Nets Tell Sixers They Aren’t Trading Harden
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Nets dismissed the Sixers’ interest in a Harden trade on January 11. Morey desperately wants to acquire Harden since the two worked together on the Houston Rockets and had a great relationship.
However, the Nets have no interest in trading the lefty.
Harden is averaging 22.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 10.2 assists on the season while shooting 41.4% from the field, 33.2% from beyond the arc and 86.9% from the free-throw line. The nine-time All-Star can become a free agent after this season and multiple reports have stated he could leave the Nets since he doesn’t enjoy living in Brooklyn and is upset that Kyrie Irving is a part-time player.
Sixers minority owner Michael Rubin, along with Morey, believes Harden is interested in playing in Philadelphia, per Wojnarowski. For what it’s worth, though, Nets head coach Steve Nash says his star “wants to be here long term.”
Nash: We Are Not Trading Harden
Before the Nets lost to the Denver Nuggets for their eighth consecutive loss, Nash told reporters Harden isn’t going anywhere.
“I’ve talked to James; he wants to be here,” Nash said, via Nick Friedell of ESPN. “He wants to be here long term as well, so I don’t think anything’s changed other than noise from the outside. James wants to be here, we’re building with James and we think we have the best chance to win with James. I don’t think anything’s changed on the inside, in our locker room, in our communication, it’s just all the noise from the [outside].”
Harden turned down a three-year, $161 million extension in the offseason. He told ESPN’s Malika Andrews before the 2021-22 season that he was looking forward to becoming a free agent for the first time in his career.
Morey will undoubtedly try to trade for Harden one more time before the NBA trade deadline passes. However, he can take solace in the fact that the Beard will be a free agent in the offseason and could come to Philadelphia if the Nets don’t win the championship this year.