The Houston Rockets have traded James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets yesterday in a blockbuster trade. James Harden will form a big three with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but one of his potential destinations was the Boston Celtics, where he could have potentially teamed up with Jayson Tatum.
It was reported that the Houston Rockets wanted a lot of assets from the Boston Celtics in exchange for the former MVP. A package was centered around Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart. The Celtics refused. Legion Hoops reported on the situation.
The Rockets asking price for James Harden from the Celtics included Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and multiple first-round picks, via @BrianTRobb.
The Celtics declined.
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 14, 2021
The Celtics would have given up a lot in this scenario. Jaylen Brown is a young star that looks to be an elite two-way player. Jaylen Brown isn’t as prolific scoring-wise as James Harden, but he is a willing defender with nice athleticism. Marcus Smart is probably one of the best defensive guards in the league as well. The Celtics would have given up their defense to pair two amazing scorers: perhaps they valued their current team cohesion. Giving up the picks would have taken away from their flexibility in the future as well.
James Harden would have been a good addition to the Celtics. However, James Harden is only getting older, while keeping the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown together should guarantee that the Celtics are competitive well into the future. Boston didn’t want to trade Jaylen Brown, who has at times looked like a franchise player. Hopefully, the Celtics’ refusal will pay off, and Brown can help them play well in the postseason.
