"There are questions as to whether or not he is what he used to be" - Stephen A. Smith believes the Brooklyn Nets should listen to trade offers for James Harden, cites his fitness issues

NBA and Brooklyn Nets superstar James Harden has been the subject of possible trade rumors this year as the Philadelphia 76ers remain interested in the superstar guard.

On ESPN's morning show First Take, sports media personality Stephen A. Smith spoke about how the Nets should listen to offers made by the rest of the league for Harden. Smith said:

"Let me say this to you, it is a mistake for the Nets to ignore Harden's trade rumors and not taking phone calls. You listen, you always listen, you have to."

Smith pointed out the fitness issues that Harden has struggled with ever since leaving the Houston Rockets. He continued:

"I'd listen because there are questions as to whether or not he is what he used to be. Hamstring injuries, weight issues coming into camp out of shape."

Stephen A. Smith spoke about the reported unhappiness of James Harden with the Nets organization, as his fellow superstar teammates Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have been in and out of the lineup due to the former's injuries and the latter's unwillingness to get the Covid-19 vaccination.

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Should the Nets be looking to trade James Harden?

Harden against the Phoenix Suns

James Harden remains one of the best players in the league and is a vital part of the Nets' championship aspirations as they are unlikely to win a championship this season without Harden alongside Irving and Durant.

Harden is one of the greatest scorers the game has ever seen and was an unstoppable machine during his nine seasons with the Houston Rockets. But he is also a great facilitator, and that version of Harden is what the Nets need, as Irving is only available for road games.

The Nets will need Harden to be a quintessential point guard, while the scoring burden will rest on Irving and Durant. He is an excellent orchestrator of the offense and you don't need him to focus on scoring with Kyrie and the Slim Reaper on the court.

Arguably the most consistent figure in terms of availability, Harden out of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant has been the only one who has shown up to work. He has missed only seven games all season long and the Nets have lost four of them.

What makes Harden great is his ability to be a quintessential point guard and also be a scoring machine that can excel in one-on-one situations and put the ball in the net whenever he wants.

And in games without Irving, Harden will need to handle more of the scoring responsibilities along with KD, but with Durant out for a couple of weeks, the onus now lies on Harden to get his team back to winning ways and perhaps get home court advantage for the playoffs.

With all that said, the Nets need to be careful in engaging with teams in the league for Harden as there aren't many players out there with the quality of James Harden and possibly no one out there who can fit better with Durant and Irving than Harden.