Boston Celtics: Pros and cons of trading for James Harden

Pros

James Harden is the most gifted scorer in the NBA, whether you appreciate it or not. No player has the ability to dominate a one-on-one matchup quite like the 3x reigning scoring champion, and that dominance doesn’t sputter when Harden is seemingly disengaged and “out of shape”.

Editor’s note: not a single basketball writer, blogger, podcaster, or non-ex professional ball-playing analyst should make a comment on whether or not Harden is in shape or not. Normal people cannot fathom the shape these athletes are in.

Harden isn’t even a normal professional athlete. He is in complete control of the ball and his body, dribbling the rock on a shoestring and bowling over defenders to score at the rim. His step-back 3-pointer is among the league’s most deadly–although Jayson Tatum’s is certainly growing in mystique since the start of last season and the results of last night.

Adding a player this dominant, who is arguably a once-in-a-generation talent (baller by night, strip-club enthusiast by later night) is the kind of win-now move Danny Ainge has avoided after failing to put his chips to the center of the table for Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis.

Harden would be the biggest acquisition since Kevin Garnett in 2007.