Atlanta Hawks rumors: Pros and cons to trading for James Harden

Cons to trading for James Harden

The Rockets want a star player or young player with star potential and multiple draft picks in exchange for their franchise player. Given their cap situation and with Harden set to make $40.8 million this season, the Atlanta Hawks have to meet the Rockets’ demands of star potential, and draft picks and match salaries.

At the very least, Atlanta would have to part ways with John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and possibly Kevin Huerter or De’Andre Hunter, along with a plethora of draft picks to execute a trade for Harden.

Another obstacle in the Hawks path, according to the CBA, any player who signs a contract in free agency is ineligible to be traded for three months, meaning the Hawks wouldn’t be able to include Bogdanovic in any trades until Feb. 20th. Normally it would make sense to give up so much for a player of Harden’s caliber, but in this situation, a trade for Harden will likely come back to haunt the Hawks.

Any team that wants to trade for Harden would essentially have to mortgage its future to get a deal done. For the Hawks, that’s not ideal given how far away they are from title contention, even with all the offseason moves they made.

He’s a phenomenal offensive player and arguably the best isolation scorer in the history of the game. As great a player James Harden is, he doesn’t necessarily make the Hawks favorites to come out of the eastern conference, let alone title favorites.

If Harden does not sign an extension with the Hawks, anything short of a championship will deem this trade a loss for the Hawks. Win or lose, convincing Harden to stay in a small market like Atlanta long term will be no easy task. Don’t believe me? Look no further than Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard won a championship with the Toronto Raptors after requesting a trade from the San Antonio Spurs. Despite leading the Raptors to the NBA mountaintop, they were unsuccessful in convincing him to re-sign with the franchise as he bolted to the LA Clippers to team up with Paul George.

The same thing can happen with the Hawks. Moves like this can make or break a general manager’s career. If the Hawks can somehow get a long-term commitment from Harden, the team should make everyone except Trae Young and Cam Reddish available.

Still, with the unlikelihood of winning of championship or getting a commitment from Harden, the Atlanta Hawks should keep their young group together and avoid the potential despair of being spurned by Harden in free agency.