Amick: Harden expands his list of preferred destinations to include Blazers

[d-train]

You would include Nurk?

I would keep Nurk and Zach out of the trade. A trade doesn't do Blazers any good if we end up with Harden and the same inability to support him he faces in Houston.

Yeah, I wouldn’t include Nurk, but zach could be traded. I don’t have much hope for him long-term.

We need Nurk and Zach. Neither is enough by himself.

[d-train]

this is an opportunity neil olshey has been waiting his whole life

if we can land harden, its a no brainer, you have to go for it... lakers showed what it means to have two top 10 or top 5 players in the league and wed have two top 10 players with dame and harden

if we can land harden without giving up nurk, that would be ideal, but if not, id still make the trade... lillard/cj mccollum backcourt is not working, weve seen it throughout the years

It's not an opportunity if the result is acquiring Houston's problem. Harden would be a happy camper in Houston if Rocket's had Nurk and Zach. He will not be a happy camper in Portland if Blazers don't have Nurk and Collins. We could include CJ or Lillard in a deal, but would be much better if we didn't trade either of those players. It would require a third team to do a trade without CJ or Lillard.

I doubt Harden even knows Collins’ first name lmao.

I have no reason to assume Harden is ignorant, but I don't really care about Harden's knowledge as much as I don't want a player we owe $40M+/yr that doesn't want to be here. Harden solves our playmaking problem, but it won't matter if we lose Nurk or Zach.

[monopoman]

I think Olshey hangs up the phone if they ask for both Nurk+CJ, I have basically the only trade option that seems legitimate and equals Harden's salary.

http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=y5o34w6u

The number of young players can go up or down depending, but the main salary match is CJ.

[DusterBuster]

It's not an opportunity if the result is acquiring Houston's problem. Harden would be a happy camper in Houston if Rocket's had Nurk and Zach. He will not be a happy camper in Portland if Blazers don't have Nurk and Collins. We could include CJ or Lillard in a deal, but would be much better if we didn't trade either of those players. It would require a third team to do a trade without CJ or Lillard.

I doubt Harden even knows Collins’ first name lmao.

I have no reason to assume Harden is ignorant, but I don't really care about Harden's knowledge as much as I don't want a player we owe $40M+/yr that doesn't want to be here. Harden solves our playmaking problem, but it won't matter if we lose Nurk or Zach.

I’m obviously exaggerating about his knowledge of Zach, but to think him being traded in the deal would a dealbreaker in Harden’s mind about wanting to be traded to Portland is laughably ridiculous, but you do you d.

[Norm2953]

It would be fascinating to see for the most part, Houston's 2019/20 team with one big addition in Dame

[d-train]

I doubt Harden even knows Collins’ first name lmao.

I have no reason to assume Harden is ignorant, but I don't really care about Harden's knowledge as much as I don't want a player we owe $40M+/yr that doesn't want to be here. Harden solves our playmaking problem, but it won't matter if we lose Nurk or Zach.

I’m obviously exaggerating about his knowledge of Zach, but to think him being traded in the deal would a dealbreaker in Harden’s mind about wanting to be traded to Portland is laughably ridiculous, but you do you d.

If you are asserting that one of us is laughably ridiculous, there is no doubt it's you more so than me.

[DusterBuster]

I have no reason to assume Harden is ignorant, but I don't really care about Harden's knowledge as much as I don't want a player we owe $40M+/yr that doesn't want to be here. Harden solves our playmaking problem, but it won't matter if we lose Nurk or Zach.

I’m obviously exaggerating about his knowledge of Zach, but to think him being traded in the deal would a dealbreaker in Harden’s mind about wanting to be traded to Portland is laughably ridiculous, but you do you d.

If you are asserting that one of us is laughably ridiculous, there is no doubt it's you more so than me.

Lol

[Sinobas]

For all of Harden's flaws, he's a much better version of CJ, who we have on a max salary. CJ is a Jamal Crawford/Monta Ellis level player who really should be a 6th man.

A move like this is really our only chance at winning a championship. Give Houston anything they want aside from Dame.

[Jkam31]

Any combination of players (other than Dame) and picks necessary to get Harden

You would include Nurk?

I would keep Nurk and Zach out of the trade. A trade doesn't do Blazers any good if we end up with Harden and the same inability to support him he faces in Houston.

He’s never played with anyone as good as Dame when he was in Houston. You trade both Nurk and Zach without blinking

[DusterBuster]

You would include Nurk?

I would keep Nurk and Zach out of the trade. A trade doesn't do Blazers any good if we end up with Harden and the same inability to support him he faces in Houston.

He’s never played with anyone as good as Dame when he was in Houston. You trade both Nurk and Zach without blinking

Zach sure, Nurk would be a deal killer for me though. You still need to have a balanced roster and some defensive.

[DusterBuster]

Read on Twitter

?s=21

This would seem to suggest the even bigger draw for Harden may not even be Dame but Olshey...

[Dame Lizard]

this is an opportunity neil olshey has been waiting his whole life

if we can land harden, its a no brainer, you have to go for it... lakers showed what it means to have two top 10 or top 5 players in the league and wed have two top 10 players with dame and harden

if we can land harden without giving up nurk, that would be ideal, but if not, id still make the trade... lillard/cj mccollum backcourt is not working, weve seen it throughout the years

Agreed.

I hate Harden, but if Olshey wants to win, he has to offer CJ + a lot more value for Harden.

[d-train]

You would include Nurk?

I would keep Nurk and Zach out of the trade. A trade doesn't do Blazers any good if we end up with Harden and the same inability to support him he faces in Houston.

He’s never played with anyone as good as Dame when he was in Houston. You trade both Nurk and Zach without blinking

Lillard is only as good as Lillard when he has the ball. Harden will have the ball and Lillard would be less than the player he is now. The complementary pieces Harden is missing are the pieces Blazers have been trying to pair Lillard with since our run to WCF.

[DusterBuster]

this is an opportunity neil olshey has been waiting his whole life

if we can land harden, its a no brainer, you have to go for it... lakers showed what it means to have two top 10 or top 5 players in the league and wed have two top 10 players with dame and harden

if we can land harden without giving up nurk, that would be ideal, but if not, id still make the trade... lillard/cj mccollum backcourt is not working, weve seen it throughout the years

Agreed.

I hate Harden, but if Olshey wants to win, he has to offer CJ + a lot more value for Harden.

Blazers are in the rare spot right now where they have some attractive young prospects that has the leagues attention, like Trent. Given where Dame is at in his career, it’s usually a better bet to cash those chips in on a big bet than hold onto them until the young guys get a big contract and are less attractive because they’re a known quantity talent at that point.

[JasonStern]

"JAMES HARDEN WILLING TO PLAY IN PORTLAND FOR $40M/YEAR"

Wow. Really didn't think this was thread-worthy. Kind of makes the franchise seem a bit desperate.

WELL I AM FINE HAVING A FORMER MVP IN HIS PRIME LOCKED UP ON A CONTRACT, BUT NOT IF IT COSTS US A TOP TEN CENTER.

Come on. Be realistic. Nurkić is worth more to a rebuilding team than CJ. Hell, Trent is probably worth more to a rebuilding team than CJ. Just because you know what you have with Collins, Simons, Little doesn't mean other franchises value your 250,000 mile 20+ year old Honda at $5,000, even with the AutoZone car seat covers.

Then you factor in the pick situation as we already owe a future 1st and have no future 1sts incoming, and it has to be some win-now team willing to sacrifice picks/prospects to take on CJ's contract. Not sure how that works out. Maybe Golden State. Wiggins + Min 1st for CJ makes no sense for us, but Wiggins + Min 1st makes more sense than CJ for a rebuilding team, and CJ makes more sense for a team with a prime Curry than Wiggins + Min 1st...

What's the difference between trading Nurkić for Harden and losing him to injury? Having Harden. Good news is that you have Kanter, Giles looks solid, and Collins will return soon so if you had to replace Nurkić, we're not in some major position of weakness.

Personally I think Harden being a headcase claims are overblown, at least at 31. A lot of "how would you react with the cameras and journalists on you 24/7?" Plus I'd trust Dame and the culture to win him over. At the time, Nurkić was a self-centered head-case that half the board hated trading for, but then that worked out.

Talent wins championships. Talent competes for championships. It's great that we're 10+ deep, but when the roster drops to 7-8 come playoff time, that unused bench depth isn't as important. Would Harden put us past the Lakers? Probably not. But could Harden put us past the Lakers? Possibly. And that's bigger than most want to admit.

But then there's the Dame situation. Being realistic and understanding that you have to trade Nurkić and CJ, is he okay trading his two closest friends on the team? Likewise, did he get along with Covington or is Covington warning the team to stay far, far away..?

That said, I think this is just mental masturbation, as many other teams could top our offer and if Harden is ADDING Portland to the list, it's not one of his ideal destinations. That said, Olshey did trade players he was "obsessed" with for CP3, so it's not completely unrealistic - just unlikely.

Are we a team that competes for championships, or a team that is happy saying, oh we made the playoffs for so many years? Because since Dame joined us, it seems like we've done everything except win a 'chip. Swept in the first round, made the second round, made the conference finals. Not sure why people don't want to go for more.

[d-train]

DCC and Hood are trade restricted until 2/5 and 3/5, respectively. It would be almost impossible for Blazers to make a deal that didn't include 1 or both these players.

[Roy The Natural]

DCC and Hood are trade restricted until 2/5 and 3/5, respectively. It would be almost impossible for Blazers to make a deal that didn't include 1 or both these players.

Not that I see... CJ+Zach+Little or Simons equals the salary needed..... It's not even close to impossible CJ+Rookie scale contracts gets you there real quick.

[DusterBuster]

"JAMES HARDEN WILLING TO PLAY IN PORTLAND FOR $40M/YEAR"

Wow. Really didn't think this was thread-worthy. Kind of makes the franchise seem a bit desperate.

WELL I AM FINE HAVING A FORMER MVP IN HIS PRIME LOCKED UP ON A CONTRACT, BUT NOT IF IT COSTS US A TOP TEN CENTER.

Come on. Be realistic. Nurkić is worth more to a rebuilding team than CJ. Hell, Trent is probably worth more to a rebuilding team than CJ. Just because you know what you have with Collins, Simons, Little doesn't mean other franchises value your 250,000 mile 20+ year old Honda at $5,000, even with the AutoZone car seat covers.

Then you factor in the pick situation as we already owe a future 1st and have no future 1sts incoming, and it has to be some win-now team willing to sacrifice picks/prospects to take on CJ's contract. Not sure how that works out. Maybe Golden State. Wiggins + Min 1st for CJ makes no sense for us, but Wiggins + Min 1st makes more sense than CJ for a rebuilding team, and CJ makes more sense for a team with a prime Curry than Wiggins + Min 1st...

What's the difference between trading Nurkić for Harden and losing him to injury? Having Harden. Good news is that you have Kanter, Giles looks solid, and Collins will return soon so if you had to replace Nurkić, we're not in some major position of weakness.

Personally I think Harden being a headcase claims are overblown, at least at 31. A lot of "how would you react with the cameras and journalists on you 24/7?" Plus I'd trust Dame and the culture to win him over. At the time, Nurkić was a self-centered head-case that half the board hated trading for, but then that worked out.

Talent wins championships. Talent competes for championships. It's great that we're 10+ deep, but when the roster drops to 7-8 come playoff time, that unused bench depth isn't as important. Would Harden put us past the Lakers? Probably not. But could Harden put us past the Lakers? Possibly. And that's bigger than most want to admit.

But then there's the Dame situation. Being realistic and understanding that you have to trade Nurkić and CJ, is he okay trading his two closest friends on the team? Likewise, did he get along with Covington or is Covington warning the team to stay far, far away..?

That said, I think this is just mental masturbation, as many other teams could top our offer and if Harden is ADDING Portland to the list, it's not one of his ideal destinations. That said, Olshey did trade players he was "obsessed" with for CP3, so it's not completely unrealistic - just unlikely.

Are we a team that competes for championships, or a team that is happy saying, oh we made the playoffs for so many years? Because since Dame joined us, it seems like we've done everything except win a 'chip. Swept in the first round, made the second round, made the conference finals. Not sure why people don't want to go for more.

Try decaf.

[dunlop212]

Nurk/Collins/GTJ/Zach: How many of these guys can PDX resign next year? Guys who may mostly walk next year should not be off the table.

[DusterBuster]

Nurk/Collins/GTJ/Zach: How many of these guys can PDX resign next year? Guys who may mostly walk next year should not be off the table.

Yeah, it’s something to consider for sure. Personally, I’m not that high on Collins as others (clearly) are, so I’m not stoked to see us give him a big contract and make him Leonard Part 2.

Trent worries me that some team is going to throw a super fat contract at too. He’s at minimum gonna be up for a MLE deal, but there’s a lot of teams with a healthy amount of cap if I remember right... so I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone give him something like 4/70 or maybe more if they like him and have money to burn.

Still believe you need to find a way to keep Nurk tho. But I can see the argument for being OK moving him as well, players of Harden’s caliber being interested in playing in Portland is so rare that it’s justifiable for this to be a “pull out all the stops” sort of deal.