Buying or Selling Latest NBA Trade Buzz

With the 2020-21 NBA season now entering its third week, the James Harden trade saga continues. While his name will dominate the league's buzz until he's eventually moved, some other names have popped up in rumors as well.

Teams potentially linked to Harden have had their own stars brought up in talks out of necessity, and out West a young star's father has demanded a trade for his son.

As the season starts to pick up steam, it's time to make sense of the latest trade buzz.

Once upon a time it appeared the Brooklyn Nets would eventually become James Harden's next destination. Since then, far more teams have explored interest in becoming the 2018 MVP's new home.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst noted that the Nets, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors have all formally reached out to the Rockets about trading for Harden.

The Nets' interest (or perhaps, Harden's interest in joining the Nets) dates back to well before the season. The three-man combo of he, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would certainly take a while to mesh, but there'd be no fear of Harden being burnt out come playoff time with two other premier scorers around him.

Of course, Brooklyn's chances of landing Harden took a hit with Spencer Dinwiddie potentially lost for the season with a partially torn ACL. Whether the Rockets wanted him or a third team would be brought in, Dinwiddie is one of the Nets' most valuable trade assets and a key salary-matcher.

It's easy to believe the 76ers would reach out for Houston's asking price, with Shams Charania of The Athletic previously reporting that Philly had offered All-Star guard Ben Simmons in a deal.

Miami and Toronto, teams that went to the Finals in 2020 and won it all in 2019, respectively, are in desperate need of scoring help as well. They entered Sunday ranked tied for 27th in offense this season (101.8 rating) and have favorable return pieces (Tyler Herro, Pascal Siakam) that Houston should covet.

The Celtics seem like the biggest long shot here, although Danny Ainge seems to throw his hat into the ring whenever a star player becomes available via trade. Assuming Jayson Tatum is off limits, the Rockets would likely target Jaylen Brown as the centerpiece of any deal. Averaging 27.5 points per game to start the season, even Brown may be entering the untradeable atmosphere for Boston. A trade for Harden here doesn't make much sense.

Buy or Sell: Buy all of those teams calling, but sell Boston being a serious trade partner.

One of the early bright spots of the year has been the health and play of Marvin Bagley III, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2018 draft who battled injuries in each of his first two seasons.

Still just 21, Bagley is averaging 11.8 points and 8.0 rebounds in his 25.0 minutes, starting all six games for the Kings at power forward. The Kings are a solid 3-3 to begin the season, with Bagley's availability being a big reason why.

Despite strong starts for both player and team, at least one figure close to Bagley believes he should be traded; his father.

Marvin Bagley Jr. tweeted at the Kings' official account, asking them to trade his son. The Athletic's Jason Jones confirmed the TeamBagley account belongs to the father of the Kings forward, noting that he "actively expresses his gripes about his son's situation on social media."

It seems odd that Bagley's father would ask for a trade now that his son is finally healthy and contributing to a Kings team that's currently in the Western Conference playoff picture.

It's also highly unlikely Sacramento would punt on Bagley this early in his career, especially since he's under team control until at least 2023. His value should only go up, and Bagley could end up forming a dangerous pick-and-roll combo with point guard De'Aaron Fox.

While Bagley Jr. may want his son traded, it seems highly unlikely the Kings would give in to his request now.

Buy or Sell: Buy Bagley Jr. wanting his son out of Sacramento, but sell the Kings granting his wish.

With news that James Harden added the Portland Trail Blazers to his list of preferred teams, it only made sense that McCollum's name would arise as potential trade bait.

The 29-year-old shooting guard is off to a career-best start, having averaged 28.0 points, 5.8 assists and 1.6 steals in his first five games.

"What am I supposed to think?" McCollum asked when hearing about Harden adding Portland to his preferred destinations, via The Athletic's Jason Quick. "I play the same position as James. If there is a trade for James, who is going to be in the trade?"

Breaking up the McCollum-Damian Lillard backcourt would be a huge risk for the Blazers, a partnership that's entering its eighth season together. There's been little if any drama between the two, a working relationship that's turned into a friendship both on and off the court.

As Quick writes, Portland's front office doesn't want to trade McCollum.

"It’s why Neil Olshey, the Blazers’ president of basketball operations, has so staunchly rejected the idea of trading McCollum. Years ago, when asked about breaking up the backcourt, Olshey broke from his strict policy of not addressing player contracts or status. He countered with his own question: Why would he break up one of the best backcourts in the NBA?"

While Portland has resisted trading McCollum in the past, there's rarely been an upgrade at shooting guard available. Now there is.

A backcourt of Lillard and Harden would easily be the best in the NBA, even if it took some time to get the chemistry right. Parting with McCollum should be a last resort in any and all trades, but doing so to get Harden should be seriously considered by Olshey and the Blazers front office.

Buy or Sell: Sell the Blazers not trading McCollum if they can get Harden in return.

Besides the Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors, the Milwaukee Bucks were another team to reportedly show interest in Harden.

While the Bucks don't possess nearly the level of trade assets as the others following a high-priced deal for Jrue Holiday, they're a championship-level team that should be exploring all possible ways to win a title. That includes shaking the roster up for Harden.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that the Bucks approached franchise star Giannis Antetokounmpo about adding Harden, although Windhorst also noted that Milwaukee ultimately decided to not reach out to Houston. The Athletic's Sam Amick wrote that the Bucks don't see Harden as a culture fit and have no plans to pursue a trade for the 31-year-old guard.

Before we get into the "should the Bucks trade for Harden" question, it's important to ask if the Bucks could actually pull off a deal.

With Antetokounmpo and Holiday staying put, the best Milwaukee could offer Houston is Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and Donte DiVincenzo. The Bucks are currently unable to trade a first-round pick in the next eight drafts.

Even Middleton as the base of a deal may not be enough, especially if Ben Simmons, Pascal Siakam, Tyler Herro or Jaylen Brown is accompanied by first-round picks in an offer for Harden.

While it's admirable for the Bucks to get Antetokounmpo's take on Harden, they were never going to trade for him in the first place.

Buy or Sell: Sell the Bucks having enough left to offer for Harden, regardless of if they wanted to trade for him or not.