NBA Trade Rumors: A case for and against the New Orleans Pelicans making a move for James Harden

The 2020-21 NBA season begins in two weeks, yet the Houston Rockets remain in a quandary over their star player James Harden. In recent discussions surrounding NBA Trade Rumors related to the Rockets point guard, there has been a suggestion that he could move to the New Orleans Pelicans, considering they are among a selected group of teams that have the means to make a deal of this magnitude.

On Kevin O'Connor's podcast, 'The Mismatch', he and guest Bill Simmons discussed the Pelicans as a potential landing spot for James Harden and although these rumors are not set in stone, it could prove an exciting deal in the short-term for the franchise.

In this article, we will have a look at how realistic a trade involving the two franchises would be and the benefits of the same.

NBA Trade Rumors: The case for the New Orleans Pelicans acquiring James Harden

Houston Rockets v Boston Celtics

In the latest NBA Trade Rumors surrounding the offseason's most talked about player, James Harden, Kevin O'Connor discussed what a trade for the shooting guard could look like with the New Orleans Pelicans if it were to happen.

Inevitably, to make a deal with Houston, New Orleans would have to sacrifice their best player from last season, Brandon Ingram. However, James Harden would certainly be an upgrade on the young forward. Harden will go down as one of the NBA's greatest scorers ever and this could be something the Pelicans regret if they chose to save their future rather than put a deal together for Harden.

James Harden...(Takes 4 months off)...scores 49 points on just 20 shots in the #Rockets first game of the #NBARestart.Damn. pic.twitter.com/9RFjXTj5PA

— Jay Tust (@KTVBSportsGuy) August 1, 2020

Over the past three seasons, James Harden has led the league in scoring averaging 33.4 points in that time. He has vastly more experience in the league as well as in the playoffs. Not only does Harden have the ability to rescue his side, able to carry a team through his scoring alone, he has averaged over 6 assists a season in his career.

Being able to pair Harden with Zion Williamson would be devastating on offense and could make the Pelicans genuine contenders for the top 4 in the West. Sharing the point with Lonzo Ball, a player who saw a marked improvement last season would work perfectly as Harden could still run the floor and not worry about sharing the ball with another guard unlike the past few seasons.

NBA Trade Rumors: A move for James Harden could even backfire for the New Orleans Pelicans

Washington Wizards v New Orleans Pelicans

For the New Orleans Pelicans, they could see James Harden as an unnecessary risk. NBA Trade Rumors surrounding this topic have suggested that Brandon Ingram would have to move on to Houston as well as the franchise giving up several of their future draft picks.

Squandering their future for one player's potential to take them to the playoffs could be disastrous given the uncertainty over how it could pan out. The Pelicans are building a skillful young roster, including last season's MIP Brandon Ingram, an out of the LA spotlight Lonzo Ball, and candidate for rookie of the year Zion Williamson.

Harden's current attitude could prove detrimental to the Pelicans inexperienced locker room. In James Harden, the Rockets have a player who is unhappy where he is. At least when the franchise refused to trade Anthony Davis, the center turned up to train and play as a professional.

Although the New Orleans Pelicans with Zion Williamson could prove an attractive prospect, James Harden has shown he wants to win a Championship and with this has demanded a lot from the Rockets front office to make him happy. After losing Jrue Holiday in the offseason, the New Orleans Pelicans should be wary of jeopardising their current rebuild any further.

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