As the Feb. 11 trade deadline approaches, teams that have asked for it have slowly begun to move, such as the Clippers switching back to Powell and the Cavaliers switching from the Pacers with a first-round chip for Rubio and a first-round switch.
But these are just small fights, and the 4 teams involved in the trade are not in the championship competition sequence this season, and the attention is average.
What really stands out is the three-way game between the Nets, Harden and Philadelphia. If any of the three parties achieve their goal, it may change the ownership of the championship.
Now that the three parties have exhausted their plans, their respective purposes have been thoroughly exposed.
Philadelphia clearly want Harden in particular, and their general manager has no doubt about Harden's affection;
Harden's goal was to make it easier to win a championship and the environment, the Nets were supposed to be a great destination, but because the Big Three played together too little time, Harden thought otherwise. But it can't be said that Philadelphia is a better destination than the Nets, so Harden is still struggling;
The Nets' goal is to do everything they can to win the championship this season, because Durant is just recuperating from injuries and is not reimbursed for the season. At the same time, as he gets older, his winning window will only get smaller and smaller.
So in the three-way game, who is the most active party?
Nets, of course. The transaction in the market is equivalent to buying and selling, Harden is a treasure that everyone wants, and the more people who want it, the more people it is naturally the seller's market.
Unless the baby has his own thoughts and designates the next home, it is possible for the seller to retreat if the jade is burned and the seller gains more than he loses. The relationship between Harden and the Nets has obviously not reached this step, and with Durant's relationship, the probability of Harden and the Nets tearing their faces is also very small.
It is clear that the Nets are the most active party in the current situation, and then look at the question of "whether Harden will be traded" is not so complicated.
No matter what news Shams and ESPN release, the Nets, as the active party, first consider their own purpose for the season.
As mentioned earlier, the Nets aim to win the championship this season. You don't care how many consecutive losses the Nets have now, and what their record is, you just need to think about one question: If the Nets Big Three can play together in the playoffs, are they the favorite teams to compete for the championship?
The answer is obvious, otherwise Max wouldn't have brought the three of them together in the first place. So what's the reason why you can't let the Big Three play together now?
The most fundamental is the health problem of the team, Irving could not play because of vaccines at the beginning, the burden on Durant and Harden was too heavy, and Harden at the beginning of the season was obviously unhealthy. Joe Harris' injury left the team short of space, further burdening the Duha duo.
In the middle, due to the problem of health and safety agreements, Duha and Duha have both taken the team separately. Then it was hard for Irving to play on the road, Durant lay down, and now Harden also lay down.
The Nets Big Three seem to form a toxic cycle, either you lie down or I lie down, and the three of them can't get together anyway.
The second problem is Irving, injuries are uncontrollable, but vaccinations are relatively controllable, but Irving's determination makes it completely uncontrollable.
Irving's personal form is obviously no problem, but because of this, Harden, who makes the championship a top priority, will only make him even more incomprehensible.
So it's hard for the Nets to put the final pot on Harden, so what is the basis for the Nets to trade Harden?
From the Nets' point of view, as long as Durant returns from injury, as long as Harden is still in the camp after the trade deadline, as long as Irving is willing to play away, is there still a possibility that the Big Three will join forces in the playoffs? So does the Nets still have a chance to win the championship?
Or reverse logic, who will the Nets trade with Harden to ensure that the Nets can play together healthily? Can durant and Irving be guaranteed to have good chemistry with him? Can it be guaranteed that the probability of winning the championship is greater than that of the current Big Three?
Unless it's Curry, we all know that's impossible. Not to mention that Philadelphia and the Nets are still opponents in the same zone, even if Simmons can fill harden's current vacancy in the Nets, but how to calculate Harden's reinforcement to Philadelphia? This in and out is actually twice the account.
Of course, there is also a way of thinking: if the Nets trade Harden now, even if they do not win the championship, they will not be empty, and if harden jumps out of the contract in the summer and then leaves, the Nets will lose every game.
But the pattern of this line of thinking is too small, and the big three is a big gamble, and the only way to win is to win the championship. If you can't win the championship, even if you exchange Harden for something now, it will be a loss, and the difference between a small loss and a big loss is just that.
And if the Nets keep Harden, they are likely to win big in the playoffs, and if they win, they will have everything. Those who dare to gamble on the big three, before opening the last card, can never get off the table, either lose a fine, or completely super double.
Conservative, not in their options.
That's why the Nets let well-known journalists such as Ramona Shelburne report on their negotiations with Philadelphia:
Nets: Who do you want?
PHILADELPHIA: James.
Nets: Which James?
PHILADELPHIA: James Harden.
Nets: Bye bye inside you.
It looks like Harden will have a hard time leaving the Nets before the trade deadline.
Since the Nets have gambled, they must gamble to the end.
As for the offseason... Who's sure the Nets will lose?
Thanks for reading it all!