In order to get Harden in 20 years, what is the price of each team?

Preface

When the 20-21 season began, James Harden, who had been with the Rockets for 8 seasons, felt that he was getting farther and farther away from the championship because he had sent away Russell Westbrook and coach D'Antoni successively, and he felt that he was getting farther and farther away from the championship. After a period of negotiations, Harden was finally the main body, and a total of four teams formed a trade, including the Rockets, Nets, Pacers and Cavaliers, and Harden also went to the Nets to start his new career as he wished. In fact, during that period, many teams also wanted to get Harden, but they made too few offers or hesitated, which eventually led to the trade being lost. So let's go back to that year today and see what teams made offers other than the Nets, and why they didn't close the deal!

Philadelphia 76ers

Trade offer: Tobias Harris, Sheikh Milton, Matisse Sablee, Fulkan Korkmaz, 2 future first-round picks

Back in 2020, the 76ers had been coveting Harden for a long time, considering that Harden had just blasted out 34.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.9 blocks in the 19-20 season. Among the offers they made, the most valuable one was Harris, who averaged 19.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, and was a good player on the offensive end, but also had a certain ability to lead the team alone.

And Thybulle, who just finished his rookie season, averaged 4.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, and at only 22 years old, he is a good wing defender. However, the remaining two players, Milton and Korkmaz, who contributed 9.8 points and shot 40.2% from three-point range, will struggle to make a difference in the playoffs. This trade offer is generally insincere, after all, Harden was still in his late prime, and the reluctance to send Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid was intolerable to the Rockets, so they also rejected the offer.

Denver Nuggets

Trade offer: Jamal Murray, Will Barton, Paul Millsap and 1 future first-round pick, 1 future second-round pick

The Nuggets are also interested in getting Harden, and in the eyes of the Nuggets executives, if Harden and Jokic can get together, then with the comprehensive technical characteristics of these two, the Nuggets can dominate the West and become the most powerful contenders for the championship. At that time, Harden also expressed interest in joining the Nuggets after hearing about the Nuggets' trade scandal. The Nuggets made an offer, first of all, Murray, who had just finished his fourth-year career, and Murray's performance in the playoffs that year shocked everyone, averaging 26.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game, which once made the eventual champion Lakers feel great pressure. In addition, they were also willing to send 15.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists Will Barton and veteran Millsap, but in the eyes of the Rockets at the time, Murray did not have the ability to become the team's first core, and Barton and Millsap were not the players they were interested in, so the Rockets also chose to refuse. Not being able to see the duo of Harden and Jokic is perhaps a big regret for the NBA.

Miami Heat

Trade offer: Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Andre Iguodala, 2 future first-round picks and 1 future first-round swap

At that time, the Heat, who had just returned to the Finals, also joined the team competing for Harden, but compared to other teams, their offer was very "picky". The 36-year-old Iguodala is no longer what he used to be, averaging only 4.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, and his age makes it difficult for him to maintain enough form, while Herro has 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in his rookie season, while shooting a good 38.9% from three-point range, he does not have enough ball-handling ability, which dooms him to the league's ceiling not to reach the ranks of superstars. In addition, Duncan Robinson was one of the best scorers at the time with 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists, but his shortcomings on the defensive end began to be magnified. Therefore, such an insincere offer also made the Rockets not hesitate and directly rejected Pat Riley's "kindness".

New York Knicks

Trade offer: RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and 3 future first-round picks

Compared with the above teams, the Knicks, who are in the big city of New York, are quite bold in their shots, and they directly want to send away several cores of the team. First of all, it is the emerging Randle, the 25-year-old Randle who was 25 years old the previous season can already contribute 19.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists, in addition to the team's selected Tanhua Xiu, the rookie season has been supported by a lot of ball support and training, RJ Barrett, who can play 14.3 points, 5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1 steal, and averages 9.7 points per game, Robinson, a top blue-collar player with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, was also included in the Knicks' trade plan, and in general, the Knicks were full of sincerity, they almost took out three of the team's most valuable players, and also added three future first-round picks. During that time, the Rockets were almost tempted, but they struggled with the issue of draft picks, insisting on adding them to four, and in the end, the Knicks' patience was infinitely exhausted, ending the trade process and failing to get the long-awaited Harden.