James Harden's relationship with the Nets came to a very delicate point.
First, the Nets announced without warning that Harden was absent from a game with the Jazz due to a hamstring injury, and then the revelation that the god Charlania reported that the 76ers would talk to the Nets about a deal with Ben Simmons and Harden in the next few days. Coupled with harden's absence from the sidelines today, many people speculate that Charlania's revelations may be true, and Harden may have finished playing the last game in the Nets jersey.
Will Harden really leave the Nets? There are signs that the impossible development before the start of the season has become possible today.
To be sure, the Nets clearly don't want to just give up a former MVP. At the beginning, the Nets sacrificed so many chips to get back hardened, and the opportunity to exchange for the former MVP was unattainable. If Harden is sent away, the Nets will have a hard time changing back to a star of the same level.
Today, the Nets lost 102-125 to the Jazz, losing 23 points in a single game to tie the worst record of the season, and this battle also proves that the Nets cannot lack Harden. The lower limit of the team's performance when Harden leads the remnants of the team is guaranteed, and he can use his organizational ability to connect the whole team. And Kyrie Owen is obviously not this material, he is always an attacking scorer, unable to pinch the whole team into a whole like Harden. When he's taken care of as much as he is today, scoring just 15 points on 6-of-20 shooting, it's hard for him to help the Nets in other ways.
Especially after Kevin Durant will be absent from the All-Star Game at least, and Irving cannot participate in the home game because of his refusal to be vaccinated, Harden is indispensable to the Nets, even if his recent performance due to injuries and other reasons has not met expectations.
But why has the Nets changed their attitude now, from refusing to listen to a trade offer about Harden to being open to sending Harden away? Ultimately, that's because Harden's vague attitude doesn't give the Nets a sense of security.
Before the start of the season, Harden did not choose to renew his contract with the Nets in advance, which the Nets can understand, after all, Harden waited until the offseason this year to renew his contract to get a larger contract, which is also the most economic choice. The problem is that as the schedule deepens and the Nets' poor record, Harden's frustration emerges. Insiders revealed that Harden was dissatisfied with the nets' current situation, and he told people around him that it was possible to leave the Nets in the offseason with a free body. In the interview, some of Harden's remarks did reveal dissatisfaction with the status quo. The Nets feel that the signs are not right, and it is possible that the bamboo basket will be empty in the offseason, and they naturally have to find a way to stop the loss in time.
In addition, there are also reasons for Harden's decline in physical and competitive state. Before joining the Nets, Harden had been a model model for labor models, rarely missing games due to injury. But since joining the Nets, Harden has been plagued by injuries. After suffering a hamstring strain last season, Harden has not recovered his pre-injury form so far this season. Not long ago, Harden was absent due to a hand injury, and after his comeback, he shot 8 of 30 in two games, and today he was suspended due to a hamstring injury. According to people familiar with the matter, the Nets are concerned about Harden's attendance.
As for what insiders said, "the Nets believe that Harden's style of play is incompatible with Durant and Irving, and his excessive ball holding style is contrary to the Nets' principle of paying attention to smooth transfer of the ball", this statement is a typical throwing pot. Harden has made great sacrifices since joining the Nets, he returned to the mode of organizing guards, reducing singles, increasing blocking, and his arrival has added an offensive line to the Nets.
In the 16 games that Harden, Durant and Irving played together, the Nets' offensive efficiency exploded, with a record of 13 wins and 3 losses, and the winning rate was super high. The fact that harden has played 80 games since Harden joined the Nets, while Durant has only played 71 games in the last two seasons, and Irving has only played 65 games, and Harden is the one with the highest attendance.
If the Nets want to find a "back pot man", this person should not be Harden, let alone the ball wind. Before Harden joined, the Nets' playing style was nothing more than Durant's finishing Irving, and the two exchanged hands to attract the defense to send a few passes. After Harden's arrival, the Nets' offensive system is more complete, which is also the main reason why their offensive efficiency is the first in the history of last season. Now to target Harden, this is obviously unfair to Harden.
The Nets play like this, coach Nash is still in a solid position, and the Nets seem to have no plans to change coaches. The farce Irving has played in the past two years has greatly hurt the value of his trade, and coupled with his relationship with Durant, the possibility of the Nets sending him away is also very low. In the end, it seems that only Harden can move.
If the Nets really plan to send Harden away, it is not impossible to trade with the 76ers for Simmons + other chips. Theoretically, the deal is indeed what both parties need.
For the Nets, Simmons' greatest value to them is defense and versatility. The Nets' front line has always lacked such a defensive toughman, and Simmons has been in the best defensive lineup after all, both to defend against point guards like Trae Young, but also against tall forwards and even occasionally topped a center. With Simmons, the Nets' defense is expected to improve, and the pressure on Durant and Irving will be reduced a lot.
On the offensive end, although Simmons's attacking power and organizational ability are not as good as Harden's, in the Nets' all-space lineup, Simmons' tandem ability can be played. At the 76ers, Simmons proved that he could lead the team to win as long as he was paired with enough shooters to fully unleash his ability to break through and pass.
Of course, Harden's top-level singles ability and ability to block and dismantle offense are incomparable to Simmons. Last season, Simmons scored only 0.725 points per block and 1 singles per game, averaging less than five blocks and singles per game, and he and Harden are completely different styles of players. Replacing Simmons with Harden also tacitly acknowledges that the Nets are ready to sacrifice offensive firepower and make up for it with depth as much as possible.
Is it to risk Harden's possible departure in the offseason and continue to play the full-attack mode with the Big Three, or to exchange Harden for Simmons, who still has a 3-year contract after this season, to play a more balanced attack and defense basketball?
With a trade deadline of 5 days to go, it's time for the Nets management to weigh it up.