James Harden Was Golden State Warriors Top Pre-Draft Trade Target

The Golden State Warriors remain in the NBA rumor mill as reports emerged of the franchise targeting James Harden in trade talks with the Houston Rockets ahead of the NBA Draft.

“I heard that one a little bit before the injury to Klay,” NBA insider Shams Charania reported. “I don’t even believe an offer was made. I think it was just an inquiry like, ‘We have a major potential offer here if you guys want to discuss. Houston was open to hearing out different offers and proposals … but it never even progressed to that point.”

James Harden would have been Golden State’s biggest acquisition since Kevin Durant and would have officially declared them as a contender once again. After finishing with the worst record in the NBA, the thinking at the time was that the Warriors would have had four All-NBA players on their roster (once again) with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson returning from injury.

The discussion for Harden would have included the No. 2 pick, which became James Wiseman, among a bounty of other assets. The rumored trade package from the Brooklyn Nets was all of their draft picks and guards Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris Levert. Those trade talks have since cooled.

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Now with Klay Thompson out for the season, the Golden State Warriors stopped fueling those rumors and moved in a different direction. Instead of dealing for James Harden, they spent their lottery pick on Wiseman. Following the draft, the Warriors traded for Kelly Oubre Jr. and signed Brad Wanamaker and Kent Bazemore in free agency. The Houston Rockets plans are yet to fully unfold.

If Harden did join forces with Curry in Silicon Valley, it would have been an eerily similar move to Durant leaving Oklahoma City. The Warriors have been Harden’s undoing, with four playoff losses to Golden State in his eight seasons representing Houston. This includes two conference finals losses, particularly the 2018 collapse that featured 27 missed three-pointers in a row.

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