The Brooklyn Nets are in danger of losing James Harden for nothing in the summer. Nevertheless, there will be no talks about a possible trade from Harden until the deadline.
This is reported by Adrian Wojnarowski ESPN. Harden reportedly made it clear to the franchise internally that he wanted to stay in Brooklyn and help the Nets win their first championship in franchise history. Therefore, there is no reason for the management of the Nets to waste even a thought on a premature Harden trade.
GM Sean Marks and owner Joe Tsai are said to share the opinion of many experts that Brooklyn with a full band, ie with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Harden, is the best team in the NBA and the clear favorite for the championship. However, Durant is currently out for a month with an internal ligament injury, and Kyrie Irving can only play away games outside of New York City.
As reported, the Philadelphia 76ers are a possible candidate for a harden trade, but according to Wojnarowski, the Sixers have not yet made an offer to the Nets. Philadelphia, on the other hand, could become an issue in the summer with a sign-and-trade deal with Ben Simmons.
Harden had decided against an early extension of his contract in the offseason. The 32-year-old still holds a $47.4 million player option for the coming season. Now Harden could exercise his option in the summer and then sign a four-year extension that could net him around $223 million. In the 2026/27 season, the guard would then become the first player to concede over 60 million in one season.
The other option is for Harden to get out of his contract and become a free agent. However, there are hardly any teams that could pay for the All-Star. With Orlando, Detroit and San Antonio, only three teams probably have enough space for a maximum contract, but none of these franchises is even close to being a contender. The Nets would have to help with a sign-and-trade deal if Harden actually wants to leave the Nets in the summer.
