Lowe: No ‘traction’ between Nets and Rockets on James Harden

It would seem that the loss of Spencer Dinwiddie would put an end to a discussion of trade talks between the Nets and Rockets. Dinwiddie would have no doubt been a piece in either a straight trade for James Harden or for a young player the Rockets might require as a return for the league’s leading scorer.

Well, if you believe Zach Lowe, it’s all kind of moot. Lowe simply doesn’t believe there’s much there there. In his latest podcast, as reported by RealGM, the ESPN writer thinks Brooklyn is satisfied with what they have and even though Harden has expressed an interest in playing with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, there’s been no “traction” between the teams.

“Spencer Dinwiddie’s health did not make or break the Nets’ ability to get James Harden,” said Zach Lowe on his podcast. “It’s unclear to me, frankly, if those teams have had anything resembling a serious conversation about James Harden. Let’s make that clear. I don’t sense that there’s been hardly any traction there at all. And maybe the way the Nets started had them thinking ‘Why are we messing with this?’”

Any deal for Harden would of course rob them of depth and without Dinwiddie, that becomes an even bigger issue. Lowe in fact in a recent podcast with Sarah Kustok and Malika Andrews opined that the better championship model may be two superstars and depth, rather than three superstars and no depth.

The latest from Houston is that Harden has expanded his wish list yet again, but many pundits still believe the most likely partner for the Rockets is the 76ers. Watch this space.

• Nets, Rockets Haven’t Had Traction On James Harden Trade - RealGM
• How Spencer Dinwiddie’s Injury Affects James Harden’s Trade Market - Bryan Toporak - Forbes Sports Money