3 suddenly desperate NBA teams that need to trade for James Harden

The Houston Rockets possess the biggest trade target in the NBA right now in James Harden. These three teams need to make a play for him sooner than later.

James Harden is polarizing at the best of times for NBA fans. Some people love his methodical style, others hate the ref-baiting. There are those who think you move heaven and earth to trade for him if you can, and others who think their almighty team culture is worth far more than having a top-five player and top-one scorer on your roster.

As for the teams deciding whether or not to trade for Harden, there are a wide range of destinations and options. There are teams like the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers, who may be able to negotiate from a position of strength. Teams like the Milwaukee Bucks can’t make a trade because they don’t have any draft capital and the only player the Houston Rockets would want in return is Giannis Antetokounmpo, and he’s going nowhere.

The Brooklyn Nets would be hard-pressed to make a deal now that Spencer Dinwiddie is out for the season, and the Denver Nuggets are probably out of the equation unless they make Jamal Murray available, and that’s most likely out of the equation.

But we’re not here to talk about those teams. We’re here to talk about teams that have gotten punched in the face in the early season and realized all their grandest plans might be for naught. Those are the teams that may find they have one move if they want to get back in the championship mix, and that move is to throw everything into a trade for James Harden.

Let’s take a look at three teams that once could have been considered dark-horse candidates, but now should be considered little more than desperate teams that need Harden. We’ll start with the most desperate team of all, the Toronto Raptors.