The Golden State Warriors became something of a league villain when they signed Kevin Durant in the summer of 2016. Just imagine how NBA fans would perceive the Dubs had they traded for James Harden this fall.
It does not seem like a realistic possibility the Warriors could have brought The Beard to the Bay Area considering the Houston Rockets’ demands. Yet, Golden State did at least indeed ask about Harden.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium talked about it on Complex’s Load Management pod:
The Warriors made a call for James Harden to try to create a Curry-Klay-Harden trio before the injury.
@ShamsCharania
EPISODE: https://t.co/gq3yj65s1U pic.twitter.com/V6GL5cK47w
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) December 1, 2020
Charania notes he heard the Warriors checked in on Harden prior to Klay Thompson’s season-ending Achilles injury. Might this be an indicator the Dubs would have considered moving Thompson?
Whatever the case, it appears the Warriors never really made an actual offer, but it was more of an inquiry into a possible trade for Harden. It still bears wondering what exactly Golden State had in mind.
Warriors president Bob Myers has been pretty adamant about retaining the team’s core of Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green. But perhaps Golden State saw an opportunity to add one of the most lethal offensive weapons in league history and changed course.
Or, maybe Myers was somehow hoping to convince the Houston Rockets to take on Andrew Wiggins and others in addition to a host of draft considerations.
Either way, it is interesting to see Myers continue to explore every avenue to get more stars. While none of the speculation seems to matter with Thompson now out, these possibilities are nonetheless always intriguing to consider.
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