Nets Not Trading James Harden, Nash Says

Topline

Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash told reporters Sunday the team will not be trading guard James Harden, as Thursday trade deadline looms, despite reports the front office has been exploring dealing the All-Star before he becomes a free agent this summer—the latest drama in what has been a tumultuous season for the championship favorite squad.

Key Facts

Nash responded “yes” when asked if the team would not be trading Harden ahead of the league’s Thursday trade deadline, adding Harden wants to remain in Brooklyn and the Nets want to keep him, according to the New York Post’s Brian Lewis. 

Nash said Harden’s recent missed games were due to a hamstring injury, and not a move of caution from the front office to keep him healthy as a potential trade asset. 

The Athletic reported Friday the Nets are open to discussing a trade involving Harden with the Philadelphia 76ers, who have been aiming to find a new home for their disgruntled point guard Ben Simmons since the beginning of the season. 

The report, which cited unnamed sources, claims the Nets have become concerned with Harden’s ball-dominant playing style disrupting the team’s egalitarian approach. 

The 29-23 Nets, who were the betting favorites to win the NBA Championship prior to the start of the 2021-22 season, are in the midst of a league-worst seven-game losing streak and are at risk of falling out of the established playoff bracket and into the play-in tournament. 

The Nets are 24-12 when forward Kevin Durant plays, but the MVP candidate sprained his MCL in January, and is expected to miss up to six weeks of action, according to ESPN.

Key Background

Harden has a player option on his contract for the 2022-23 season worth over $47 million, though it is assumed he’ll opt out of that final year and become an unrestricted free agent before signing a new long-term contract in the summer. Daryl Morey, the 76ers’ president of basketball operations, was Harden’s general manager when the two were members of the Houston Rockets organization, and nearly acquired Harden from Houston last season before the Nets ultimately made the deal instead. The Nets traded away several young players and three first round draft picks in order to acquire Harden from the Rockets last January, forgoing their long-term future with the goal of winning a championship with their current star-studded core. 

Big Number

13-3. That’s the Nets’ record when all three of their stars—Durant, Harden and Kyrie Irving—play together, according to ESPN Stats & Info. While the figure is impressive, it represents just 16 of the 123 games the Nets have played since acquiring Harden last season. While injuries have been a huge factor in the team’s lack of continuity, Irving’s refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19 has played a role as well—forcing him to miss 41 of the team’s 52 games so far this season. Due to New York mandates, the unvaccinated Irving is unable to play in home games in Brooklyn. The Nets initially elected to keep Irving away from the team entirely, but recently began using him as a part-time player, playing him exclusively in away games. The team is 4-7 in games when Irving plays this season.