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Steve Nash: Nets have no plans to trade James Harden

By Chris Milholen
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Brooklyn Nets v Dallas Mavericks Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

The NBA trade deadline (Thursday at 3 p.m. ET) is looming, and Steve Nash made it clear the Nets have no plans to trade James Harden. When asked if the team is going to trade the superstar guard, the Nets head coach responded this way...

Nash thus becomes the first Nets official to go on the record saying the Nets don’t plan or want to trade Harden. This comes in the face of conflicting reports from Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania on whether Harden is even available in trade talks.

When asked about his conversations with Harden, Nash said his superstar point guard has made it clear he wants to be in Brooklyn long-term, and his absence isn’t related to the trade deadline approaching. The Nets head coach said those conversations have been a constant thing since the summer, and Harden’s stance hasn’t changed.

“I don’t think anything has changed on the inside in our locker room, in our communication. It’s just all noise on the outside.”

Harden will miss his second-straight game (he’s played in two of the last five games) with left hamstring tightness. Nash said Harden is day-to-day, but it’s a matter of when his strength gets back to where the team and he feels confident, and there’s no risk of making the injury worse, Nash added.

“Same thing. The scan is pretty good, but there’s a tightness and a strength deficit,” said Nash on Harden’s left hamstring. “For us, we just don’t want to take any chances. We know last year we lost him for an extended period. We want to be conservative and make sure he resumes at full strength so there isn’t an extended absence.”

Nets feel really good about Kevin Durant’s recovery, no timetable for return

New Orleans Pelicans v Brooklyn Nets Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

Steve Nash also provided an update on Kevin Durant, who is recovering from an MCL sprain in his knee. The Nets head coach didn’t put a timetable on his return but said the team is feeling really good about his recovery and everything has gone to plan.

“We really don’t get into timetables just in case it gets complicated, but we feel really good about his recovery so far,” said Nash on Durant’s MCL sprain recovery. “I think he’s well on his way so there have been no setbacks. Everything has gone to plan. We feel really positive about the progress he’s making and a return will be a full one, and hopefully not too long.”

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