Just Trade James Harden For Kyrie Irving Already

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 01: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets is defended by Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on November 01, 2019 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

We’ve seen it in the NBA forever. One team sends its problem in exchange for another team’s problem. The latest example happened in December when Russell Westbrook was dealt for John Wall. Neither Wall on the Rockets nor Westbrook on the Wizards elevated their new squads to a contender. It was universally viewed as a lateral move for both teams.

But there’s always something to be said for addition by subtraction, especially when a superstar absolutely has made it known that he doesn’t want to be around a team/city anymore. Harden’s been adamant he wants out of Houston where he’s reportedly been catered to by the organization for years. His play on the court so far this season hasn’t exactly been inspiring—he’s averaging under 25 points per game for the first time since the 2011-12 season, his last with the Thunder, and he's averaged a paltry 17.4 points the past five games while shooting just 25.6 percent from deep. His comments after the 117-100 drubbing to Los Angeles were his most telling so far.

"I love this city. I literally have done everything that I can. I mean, this situation is crazy. It’s something that I don’t think can be fixed," Harden told reporters via Zoom.

The tandem of Harden and Wall has, as many predicted, been meh. The Rockets are 3-6, owner’s of the second-worst record in the Western Conference, and look headed toward the NBA Draft lottery which is ironic since they barely have any draft capital following deals for Chris Paul and Westbrook, two stars Harden did not end pair well with. The Beard’s latest parntership with a former All-Star point guard has so far fizzled.

"It's been a little rocky, not going to lie about that," Wall said Tuesday. "I don't think it's been the best it could be. That's all I can say."

Trading Harden for Irving straight-up isn’t as easy as snapping your fingers, but a deal involving both is doable and if Houston remains adamant that it wants a superstar in exchange for one of the premier scorers in NBA history…

Every NBA insider says Houston isn’t budging on its demand that a trade of its superstar nets it a superstar in return. And if the Rockets aren’t going to budge off of that—and refuse to seriously entertain offers that are centered around packages for up-and-coming players like Brooklyn’s Caris LeVert, a couple of teammates, and picks in exchange for Harden—Irving would be an awesome return in exchange for the Beard.

Now, is Irving fair value for Harden? More on that below. Regardless, Irving is arguably the best name that has hypothetically been mentioned as a trade candidate for Harden. Ben Simmons, of course, has been talked about a ton in Harden trade scenarios since Harden reportedly also has Philadelphia as one of his desired destinations. But Irving’s an infinitely better offensive player than Simmons and would arguably elevate the Rockets in ways Simmons, still years away from his full potential, could not immediately.

Of anyone realistically mentioned in a potential trade for Harden, only Irving—even if ESPN reported last month the Rockets weren't interested in acquiring him nor the Nets interested in moving him—would come reasonably close to filling up the offensive hole left by Harden.  

Cons

While Brooklyn hasn’t jumped out to the start many envisioned after it entered the 2020-21 season with a healthy Kevin Durant and Irving, why would the preseason Eastern Conference favorites pull the plug on one of the NBA’s top tandems less than a quarter of the way into their first year playing together?

Frustrations from Nets fans over Irving’s unexplained absences aside, we, of course, don’t know what’s going on with him. While there’s speculation his time away from the team was largely due to last week’s insurrection at the Capitol, the mercurial Irving has yet to take to social media or issue a statement via his publicist or the Nets that explains why he hasn't played nor will he through the rest of the week. Irving’s proven to be a complicated guy off the court, but his brilliance on it is unquestionable.

So we need to see way more of Irving teaming up with his good pal Durant before 86ing Brooklyn’s grand experiment. The Nets’ biggest signings in franchise history arrived two summers ago with plans to elevate New York’s second squad to unprecedented levels. Considering their talents and close relationship, expectations are rationally high. But considering how much the Nets have catered to Irving’s whims over his brief tenure with the club, knowing that when his head is right and he’s motivated he’s one of the most gifted offensive point guards in the game, there has been zero indication GM Sean Marks wants to dead Durant and Irving before seeing what it’s capable of in the postseason. If you can tolerate the headaches Irving causes, you have to give KD-Kyrie at least one playoff run, if not two, right?   

Would pairing Irving with Wall be a good idea for Houston?

Probably not. Both are ball-dominant, offensively-minded point guards who share plenty of redundancies in their game—most notably playing zero defense. Both have lengthy injury histories and have never really played off the ball before in the NBA. From Houston’s perspective, acquiring Irving would mean he’s your new franchise player because he’s undoubtedly better, younger, and owns a higher upside than Wall, not to mention a track record of performing on the game’s biggest stage. Would Wall, who will make an average of $44 million per season through 2023, be completely cool with Houston bringing in another point guard, even if Wall’s only been there a few months? Would Wall and Irving clash personality-wise? Would they complement each other at all on the court?

I’m throwing out questions we, of course, don’t have the answers to. Expect for the last one. We all know the answer to that one.

While we told you above that Houston getting a star of 28-year-old Irving’s caliber in return for Harden would be a great haul for the Rockets, it’s debatable whether just getting Irving—for our purposes here and not a few other notable pieces from the Nets—would represent fair value for the historic Harden.

At 31 years old, Harden’s regular-season resume is the stuff of legends and he’s been very durable during his eight full seasons in Houston. No matter who he suits up for, a healthy and engaged Harden should almost always mean his team is earmarked for the playoffs. The three-time scoring champion is that talented that he can basically drag a team into the postseason all by himself. Irving’s never come close to producing the win share numbers Harden has year-over-year.

Where Harden loses points, of course, is his postseason failures. Like having never taken the Rockets to an NBA Finals and famously flaming out of the playoffs on numerous occasions. Irving’s postseason resume is superior. But can Irving, one our top 13 players in the NBA right now, carry a talent-deficient squad into the postseason by himself? Despite being the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, he never did it in Cleveland.

Maybe the most important issue is whether the Rockets could reasonably rely on Irving? In terms of durability, Irving’s missed a ton of games over the years with the Celtics and Nets. Now he’s not playing and he isn’t even injured and we have no idea what his motivations are long term regarding basketball. Talent’s one thing, but availability really is a professional athlete’s most important asset. Irving's about as unreliable as it gets in the NBA right now. 

If you ask me, and just about anybody who's watched basketball ever, Durant is fair value for Harden—not Irving. Former teammates with the Thunder, KD and Harden are top 6 players in the game and legendary scorers who will easily be considered among the best to ever ball when they retire. But we all know KD isn’t going anywhere for all the obvious reasons and Harden would love to re-up with his former running mate in Oklahoma City. That's why he has Brooklyn atop his trade wishlist.