Boston Celtics: B/R selling idea of Cs being ‘serious’ about James Harden

The Boston Celtics have been linked to James Harden for quite some time now but, according to Bleacher Report, the idea of a trade should not be seen as ‘serious.’

Despite coming into the 2020-21 season with an absurd amount of hope and hype, the Boston Celtics currently find themselves boasting a just north of .500 record of 4-3.

To some, a struggle to start the year comes as no surprise, as their first slate of the schedule was quite challenging and, without their franchise point guard Kemba Walker, wins were expected to be hard to come by.

That said, even with this, it has not stopped the rumor-mill from spinning, suggesting that the Cs could be up for a deal to potentially help increase their title-odds by pursuing the likes of superstar guard James Harden via trade.

We here at the Houdini have mixed opinions about such a move — some have gone on to discuss numerous ways in which Boston could acquire the All-Star, while others have been a bit apprehensive about the idea, particularly if it involves Jaylen Brown being shipped off.

Recently, Bleacher Report shared their views on the idea of the Celtics pursuing Harden and, ultimately, came to the conclusion that people should not ‘buy’ the idea of the franchise being serious contenders to land him.

Citing the front office’s “all bark, no bite” approach to available stars over the past several years, writer Greg Swartz views the Cs being a real destination as nothing more than a pipe-dream:

"The Celtics seem like the biggest long shot here, although Danny Ainge seems to throw his hat into the ring whenever a star player becomes available via trade. Assuming Jayson Tatum is off limits, the Rockets would likely target Jaylen Brown as the centerpiece of any deal. Averaging 27.5 points per game to start the season, even Brown may be entering the untradeable atmosphere for Boston. A trade for Harden here doesn’t make much sense."

To us here at HH, Jaylen Brown is deserving of his own spotlight and should be viewed as a building block as highly-valued as Tatum, not as just a mere trade chip.

B/R hit the nail on the head here — unless the Rockets would be willing to accept a deal that doesn’t involve either of the ‘Jays’, fans should pass on the idea of the Boston Celtics landing the likes of James Harden.