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Between draft decide obligations and pick-swap rights from the blockbuster James Harden commerce a 12 months in the past, the Houston Rockets successfully management any first-round property from the Brooklyn Nets through 2027.
That’s why the newest wave of uncertainty relating to the Nets and Harden, who can turn out to be a free agent as quickly as this offseason, is so intriguing. In his Substack e-newsletter, longtime NBA insider Marc Stein reports:
It should be famous that there’s sufficient noise circulating leaguewide about Harden’s reported openness to relocation this summer season…
Such a relocation wouldn’t immediately contain Houston, in all probability. Harden is 33 years previous, and the Rockets are rebuilding round younger gamers like 19-year-old rookies Jalen Inexperienced and Alperen Sengun. Any incentive for Harden to go away could be for a greater probability to win now.
Thus, if Harden leaves Brooklyn — presumably as a result of the Nets fall brief of their title quest for a second straight 12 months — it possible wouldn’t be for a return to Houston in 2022. Stein references Philadelphia, which is run by former Rockets GM Daryl Morey and has celebrity middle Joel Embiid proper in the course of his NBA prime, as an Harden suitor.
Nonetheless, even when Harden isn’t leaving Brooklyn for Houston this 12 months, his exit to wherever else would nonetheless doubtlessly enhance the worth of these future Nets’ draft property to normal supervisor Rafael Stone and the Rockets. Kevin Durant turns 34 later this 12 months and is at present coping with an MCL damage, whereas Kyrie Irving stays a part-time participant attributable to an unwillingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine (and subsequently being unable to play in residence video games). Amid these points, Brooklyn (27-16) enters Tuesday with seven losses in its final 11 video games.
It could all be resolved, in fact, if Harden and the Nets go on a championship run within the playoffs inside a number of months. However ought to that not occur, it’s a storyline value revisiting in June and July.
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