The NBA world has once again been shattered with the report that James Harden has requested a trade to the Brooklyn Nets, turning down an extension that would make him the first player to make $50 million annually in the process.
On the surface, this seems crazy. Pairing Kyrie Irving with one of the best players in the world in Kevin Durant is a strong enough team as it is. Adding prime Harden seems criminal. But, if you think about it a little deeper, it’s a fair question to consider whether three of the league’s top scorers would gel together.
Potential problems
From a defensive standpoint, there would absolutely be some holes on this roster. Harden’s defense has improved significantly over the years, but Kyrie is Kyrie and KD has yet to make an All-NBA Defensive team. This isn’t to say KD isn’t an above-average or even good defender, just that the Nets will likely not have a ton of defensive prowess. Guys like Dinwiddie – a decent, albeit inconsistent, defender – and Jarrett Allen, the team’s only real rim defender, will probably be shipped to Houston in the package for Harden. However, In today’s NBA, outstanding offense heavily outweighs dominating defense, so we can be confident the Nets will be just fine.
Another issue a lot of people are discussing is whether just one basketball is enough for all 3 of them. There really isn’t much room for concern here considering that Harden would be the only true volume scorer on the team. Shannon Sharpe made an argument about their high usage rates, but it doesn’t hold much weight. Kyrie was the primary option last season for Brooklyn when he was on the court. The Nets had no other real ball-dominant players on the team. Levert and Dinwiddie got a decent amount of shares as well. Irving was able to let Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown get touches in the 2018-19 season, as Irving was 16th in the league in usage percentage. Even before then, LeBron and Kyrie were both in the top 15 in usage percentage back in 2017.
We all made the same argument a season ago, regarding how well Russell Westbrook and Harden would be able to share the ball, and they ended up being fine. The Rockets ended up 4th in the Western Conference, falling to the eventual champion Lakers.
Star power > Personality
KD is not a selfish player. He was perfectly fine sharing the ball with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, without needing to take a whole lot of shots. On top of anything, these guys are some of the best athletes in the world, so they’ll be able to sacrifice some of their stats and shots to have a better shot at winning a championship. Also, considering the fact that Durant is coming off the worst injury in basketball, the Nets could be fine with leaving him on a minutes restriction for a good portion of the season, potentially bringing him in as a closer. Letting Nash and the Nets rely on their guards to do the brunt of the scoring and giving KD a backseat role could be wildly beneficial.
Many have brought up how their differing attitudes and personalities could lead to conflict. It’s been mentioned how Kyrie was frustrated being in LeBron’s shadow with Cleveland and wanted to be his own man in Boston. People fail to remember that he planned to meet Durant in Brooklyn and team up, so he’s moved on from “the guy” sentiment. Durant and Draymond Green frequently argued on the sidelines, but Draymond has always been known to talk trash.
Although it’s fair to say none of these guys are any of the most agreeable or well-liked teammates in the league, it’s not going to matter. Differing personalities have rarely damaged a team’s shot in the middle of the season. It could prevent this from being a long time team-up. Either way, it seems like they want to play together. And if a ring is the goal, then personalities probably won’t stop that.
Analysis
I am of the opinion that Harden would be better off for personal success if he ended up with Philadelphia. Shipping Ben Simmons, Thybulle, and a first to Houston would help both teams a lot. This way Harden can be the primary ball carrier, plus Embiid would have another star teammate to dominate the East with. Either way, these reports have absolutely shaken up the landscape of the league. The Nets were already seen as potential favorites in the East for 2021. Adding Harden almost seems like it could be a guaranteed chip. The National Basketball Association has been put on notice.