NBA Trades to Look Out For and James Harden Offer Rejection
As the NBA draft mania is in full force this week, teams are making big trades and even bigger deals to acquire star players in hopes to bring their game to the next level for the 2021 season.
Milwaukee Bucks Trades and Keeps
Before the 2020 NBA season was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Milwaukee Bucks were projected to go far with an all-star lineup, led by star player Giannis Antetokounmpo. Once the season commenced in the Orlando bubble, the Bucks went from being a top-seeded team, to losing four games to one in the Eastern Conference semifinals against Miami Heat and the Bucks once again, faced defeat.
With their unfortunate 2020 season outcome, it seems the Bucks are making some big trades in an attempt to entice their star player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, to sign a 5 year extension. In a statement today, GM Jon Hurst said "we are heavily focused on continuing to improve the team". And with that in mind, the Bucks acquired New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (who has a reputation as one of the best defenders and two-way guards), and from Sacramento Kings forward Bogdan Bogdanovic. In return for Jrue Holiday, the Bucks are sending Eric Bledso, George Hill and offering three first-round picks in Wednesdays draft, as well as a pair of first round pick swaps for 2024 and 2026.
Now that the 2021 NBA season is confirmed to begin December 22, 2020, looks like we won’t be waiting long to see how these trades pan out!
James Harden Rejects Rockets Extension in Historic Offer
James Harden COULD have made history to be the very first NBA player to receive a $50 million a year deal. In an attempt to extend Harden’s contract with the Houston Rockets, an offer was made for a 2-year extension for $103 million, on top of $133 million for his remaining three years. This mega offer was subsequently turned down by Harden as he is focused on making a transition to play for the Brooklyn Nets.
If Harden’s deal with the Brooklyn Nets goes through, he’ll be joining superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, making for a stellar roster for the 2021 NBA season. Harden feels the path to an NBA championship is a long-shot should he stay with the Houston Rockets, and joining the Nets would create a stellar lineup that would take them all the way to the championship.
Unfortunately for Harden, the 31 year old Rockets guard has a couple hurdles to overcome in order to make this trade happen. First, he still has a remaining 3 year contract to complete with the Rockets; second, the Rockets do not want to see him go; and third, the Nets may not be able to afford Harden. It should be interesting to see if this trade does go through, and if so, you better be sure the Nets will be the team to watch out for when the 2021 season commences.