Portland Trail Blazers: Breaking down hypothetical James Harden trade
By Dalton Sell
Why the Portland Trail Blazers do it
An opportunity like this is a rarity in the NBA today for small-market franchises.
James Harden, a consensus top-five player and one of the most prolific scorers in all of league history, has added the Portland Trail Blazers to his list of preferred destinations. With the opportunity to pair a player of Harden’s caliber alongside five-time All-Star Damian Lillard right there for the taking, Portland’s management has to consider it.
The Blazers want to win a championship just as everyone else does. However, as currently constructed, would anyone pick them to win a postseason series against the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, or Denver Nuggets? Not likely. While trading for Harden does not guarantee Portland a spot in the NBA Finals, it undoubtedly helps their cause to make themselves a more feasible threat.
Damian Lillard has always been adamant about recruiting talent to Portland. According to Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes, Lillard was chasing one of the biggest fish of them all this offseason: Giannis Antetokounmpo. Haynes detailed how the pair expressed a desire to play together, but it was all just a pipe dream as Giannis had already signed his five-year supermax extension when that news broke.
While the Blazers missed out on one former MVP winner, they could target another in James Harden. Houston’s asking price is undoubtedly going to be steep, but if Portland wants to become an immediate threat in the Western Conference, this a move they might consider. Losing CJ McCollum, Lillard’s longtime running mate, might be a hard pill to swallow, but Harden is a surefire upgrade from a basketball standpoint.
A backcourt tandem of James Harden and Damian Lillard would surely have some kinks to work out, but the potential with a one-two punch like that is limitless.