File this under the “things-nobody-expected-to read-when-they-woke-up-this-morning-department.”
James Harden to the Warriors.
That’s what Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports Boston, DAZN, NBC Olympics and FS1 has audaciously, and, perhaps, recklessly, forecasted in SI’s New Year’s Day “NBA Bold Predictions” column.
Here’s Mannix’s rundown on how Harden, persona non grata in Golden State, lands in Golden State:
“The Super Team Era will begin again … with James Harden … in Golden State”
“We all know the Warriors are the team to watch next summer, with a likely top-five pick and a 23-year old All-Star point guard in D’Angelo Russell to dangle in a trade. Houston is mired in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference and if the Rockets fizzle out early in the playoffs, Houston could look to re-boot. Dealing Harden to a rival may be painful, but a Russell/pick package may be the Rockets best chance to rebuild. For Golden State, plugging Harden in alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson would give the Warriors the most dynamic offensive lineup since … Kevin Durant paired with Curry and Thompson. A championship window would be re-opened and the league would be playing catch-up with the Warriors—again.”
There’s a lot going on here.
The Rockets are, technically speaking, “mired in the middle,” stationed at No. 4 in the West as of Thursday. It’s also January bleeping 2nd and the club is four games off the top spot in the conference.
Another thing: how the hell do Curry, Thompson and Harden all play alongside each other?
Oh, and let’s not leave Harden’s contractual situation out of all of this. Here’s what the Rocket is set to make the next three seasons:
2020-21: $41,254,920
2021-22: $44,310,840
2022-23: $47,366,760
Look, I’m not saying this take is asinine or deliberately manufactured to be as absurd as possible in a transparent effort to garner clicks, but it shows characteristics there of.
