The Houston Rockets are looking for trade partners for James Harden and they appear to be having a hard time doing so. The Beard wants out of the team and they’re trying their best to send him somewhere else without success. They have started talks with plenty of things around the league but nothing has come to fruition for them.
One of those teams was the Denver Nuggets, who also started talks with the Rockets but no deal was completed given the demands of the Texans. Mike Singer of the Denver Post reports that the Rockets wanted a package that included Michael Porter Jr., but the Nuggets weren’t willing to part with their young star. MPJ showed last season that he can be a very good player in the association as long as his body helps him.
The Nuggets were one of numerous teams the Houston Rockets called to gauge interest about a potential James Harden trade. Those talks didn’t gain any traction, however, a league source told The Denver Post.
Houston’s interest centered firmly on Nuggets small forward Michael Porter Jr., the source said. Those talks haven’t materialized into anything substantial. Any potential deal would have to include Gary Harris or Will Barton, if not both, to match salaries, which would leave the Nuggets extremely thin on the wing.
As rumors circulated about a potential deal to acquire the disgruntled superstar, another league source told The Post that Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray was never included in any discussion. His transcendent postseason run in Orlando reaffirmed why the Nuggets gave him a max contract extension last summer and underscored why they view him as a franchise cornerstone, along with center Nikola Jokic.
A Harden deal would fundamentally disrupt the core Denver has carefully built and alter the unselfish ethos of the team.
This was a great option for the Rockets but the Nuggets are thinking about their present and future, which is exactly what Porter Jr. means for them. In recent days, Fadeaway World dropped the idea of the Nuggets creating a Big 3 with Harden, Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic but that idea was dismissed. The Rockets are still looking for alternatives to ship Harden but nothing is certain right now.
