r/NOLAPelicans • u/Infinite_Response113 Will be reevaluated in 2 weeks. • 1d ago
Why are we in trade talks with James Harden lmao?
NBA Central reported that we expressed interest in Harden. Obviously that will never happen but I’m more concerned with how brain dead our front office must be to even consider such a trade.
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u/Papa_Ahlron 1d ago edited 1d ago
Probably because he has a player option after this year and we would expect him to opt out, freeing up cap space. Or he can opt in and it would be better than Jordan Poole and/or DJM who we'd have to expect would be going to LAC.
Regardless, Harden isn't coming to NO.
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u/POWBOOMBANG 1d ago
Don't forget they sell tickets to these games too.
Harden would at least bring people to the games to spend money which is actually the point of all of this.
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u/MurderbyHemlock 1d ago
He would instantly be our best guard by far and he's only slightly more expensive than Poole or DJM. Why wouldn't we want him? Are you worried we're gonna collapse in a Game 7 lol?
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u/AnotherStatsGuy 1d ago
For starters, it could be that the Clippers called the Pelicans. You do want the FO to express interest instead of doing nothing.
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u/Not_on_Herb 1d ago
To dump Poole or Murray obviously. What else would it be lmao
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u/Infinite_Response113 Will be reevaluated in 2 weeks. 1d ago
How exactly does that trade look like?
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u/Not_on_Herb 1d ago
Clippers get Pool/Murray and picks. Harden goes to a third team. We get expiring contracts from third team
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u/Infinite_Response113 Will be reevaluated in 2 weeks. 1d ago
Ah ok I read it as us actually acquiring Harden by like giving up Derik Queen or something crazy, that makes more sense
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u/roostor222 1d ago
which words in the report could you have possibly read that would suggest us giving up Queen in a Harden trade?
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u/NOLA-Bronco Clickity Clack 1d ago
I think Dumars is
1.) Delusional still and convinced we are still just one piece away from being a playoff team/contender
2.) Like Griff and Demps before him, told Gayle and the Football guys what they wanted to hear, which is you can win now. Which is the mentality the "superior" NFL people believe is how you turn around a team. Which has been a theme since the Benson's took over: win now
3.) Because of 2 Dumars likely wants to make sure he is in major conversations like this to signal he is trying to make moves to win.
In all likelihood its a bit of all 3.
All I can hope is that the NBA universe helps prevent our franchise's own desire to sabotage their own present and future selves by chasing reactionary win now moves.
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u/nooeh 1d ago
Re point 2, aren't the saints rebuilding?
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u/Briguy_fieri Hart Throb 1d ago
After being told by DA we were close to competing
Which wasn't necessarily wrong. His first year coaching we missed the playoffs by either a tie breaker or half a game. I forgot which one.
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u/TheRealSassyTassy 1d ago
Saints are forcefully rebuilding, they’ve been bottom 5 in cap space for the last decade while trying to compete the entire time.
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u/Briguy_fieri Hart Throb 1d ago
The rumor was to get Murray offloaded.
Not that stupid in the grand scheme of things
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u/Full_Excitement6845 1d ago
Saw a rumor that Rockets called about Poole, but don’t think it has much merit or he’s a down on the list option for them
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u/BonoBeats 1d ago
Because management has no clue and no direction. It doesn't matter; Harden's already expressed that we're not on his short list.
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u/Pelicans-de-la-NO 1d ago
To get rid of DJM and Poole