Sports Q: Should the Celtics trade for James Harden? Chad Finn says no.

December 29, 2020 | 3:42 PM

Welcome to Boston.com’s Sports activities Q, our day by day dialog, initiated by you and moderated by Chad Finn, a couple of compelling matter in Boston sports activities. Right here’s the way it works: You submit inquiries to Chad by way of Twitter, Facebook, and e mail. He’ll choose one every weekday to reply, then we’ll take the dialogue to the feedback. Chad will cease by a number of occasions per day to navigate. However you drive the dialog.

Ought to the Celtics commerce for James Harden?

Positive. Does Carsen Edwards and a pair of second-round picks work on the Commerce Machine? I’d try this.

All proper, so I’m not going to dismiss the concept of buying and selling for Harden out of hand. He’s an extremely gifted participant regardless of an method so methodical that it may be aesthetically numbing even when he’s filling up the basket. Danny Ainge appreciates the necessity for professional superstars, and Harden is one.

There was a report per week or so in the past that the Celtics seemed into it and had been delay by among the intel they acquired. There was a more moderen report, on Friday’s “NBA Countdown” on ESPN by the unimpeachable Adrian Wojnarowski, that the Celtics had been “amongst groups who’ve had conversations, even current conversations.” I assure you the Celtics have finished their due diligence and past on Harden, and are tempted by the opportunity of buying him.

However I don’t assume it’ll occur, and I certain hope it doesn’t. It’s not simply that Harden could be a drag to observe even when he’s dropping 45 factors. He’d most likely price the Celtics each Jaylen Brown and Marcus Good, and I wouldn’t quit Brown – the type of participant and individual a franchise ought to cling to – alone for a participant who will make $47.3 million in 2022-23 when he’ll be 33 years previous, most likely wouldn’t mesh with Jayson Tatum, appears to have let his conditioning lapse, and has acted like a whole moron throughout the pandemic.

Harden is a good particular person participant, and which phrase is doing the heavy lifting in that assertion. He wouldn’t assist the Celtics win something, and he’d harm them for the long run. I hope he will get traded to the Nets and feuds with Kyrie Irving. I’ll cross on bringing him right here.

However what does everybody else assume? Ought to the Celtics commerce for James Harden? I’ll hear you within the feedback.