Boston Celtics: Breaking down hypothetical trade for James Harden

First reported by The Athletic early last week, the Boston Celtics have been added to James Harden’s list of preferred trade destinations.

Whether they wanted to be or not, the Boston Celtics have been thrown right into the James Harden sweepstakes.

Harden, who has spent the last eight seasons with the Houston Rockets, has been trying to force his way out since their second-round defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers. The 2017-18 league MVP initially had expressed a desire to play for the Brooklyn Nets or the Philadelphia 76ers, but when there was no momentum on a deal with either of those franchises, Harden added more teams to the mix.

Now, as reported by The Athletic’s Kelly Iko and Sam Amick ($$), the Boston Celtics are now on his ever-growing list of preferred trade destinations.

While teams have been hesitant to make a move for the eight-time All-Star, given recent headlines about his questionable decisions made outside of basketball, his hot start to the season might change that quickly. Throughout the first two games, Harden has been on a tear, having averaged 39 points on .595/.500/.920 shooting splits, 5.0 rebounds, 12.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per game.

Numbers like that could undoubtedly shift the standings in either conference, especially for a team like the Boston Celtics that is stocked with assets. If the Celtics ponder the idea of being the team that finally trades for James Harden, here is what a potential package might look like.

The hypothetical James Harden trade to the Boston Celtics

There are undoubtedly a plethora of moving parts in this deal, particularly from Boston’s end. Their asset cabinet is one that could appeal to the Houston Rockets more than any other team potentially making phone calls about James Harden, without a doubt. If there were to be any traction on a deal that would send Harden from Houston to Boston, here is why each team might do it.