NBA Offseason 2020: 5 blockbuster James Harden trades
4. Golden State Warriors
On the surface, this is a highly underwhelming return for a player of Harden’s stature. Andrew Wiggins’ contract is simply bad, and while Kevon Looney is a nice piece at only 24 years old, he’s barely a starting-caliber center on a playoff team. The real attraction lies in the quality of picks given up, even if it’d likely take another future first-rounder or pick swap to get the job done.
The remaining three years and $94.7 million on Wiggins’ deal are disgusting, but Rockets fans need to brace themselves for their new reality in this post-Morey world: Trading Westbrook will ultimately mean trading Harden, and once those dominoes start falling, it’ll be time to shift gears. By the time this team is in a position to care about the cap space Wiggins’ bloated salary is taking up, he won’t even be on the roster anymore.
Bearing that in mind, the Golden State Warriors are a team in win-now mode that might be more willing to cough up an extra pick or two, which should be Houston’s primary target in any Harden trade. It’d be absolutely gut-wrenching to deal him away to the very rival that never let the Rockets see the light of day out West, but if they’re able to walk away with this year’s No. 2 overall pick, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ first-round pick in the loaded 2021 NBA Draft that’s only top-3 protected and the knowledge that they gave Harden his best chance yet to win a ring?
That’s something. It’s not “Harden winning a title in Houston,” but it’s something.
As for the Warriors, few teams would be as well-equipped to welcome Harden into the fold as part of a new super-team, and though there’d definitely be a stylistic clash at the start, playing with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green would not only mask some of the Beard’s defensive deficiencies, but his playoff shortcomings as well.
The Dubs may not have enough to ultimately satisfy Houston’s trade demands, but this would be one hell of a way to resuscitate the dynasty if they’re willing to up the ante on the draft picks.