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While James Harden is going to miss Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, it’s not going to be because he’s getting traded anytime soon.
The Nets announced Sunday that Harden will sit out versus the Nuggets due to “hamstring tightness.”
Updates to the Status Report for today’s game at Denver:
Claxton (left hamstring tightness) – OUT
Harden (left hamstring tightness) – OUT
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 6, 2022
Harden was listed as questionable to begin with, and didn’t play in Friday’s blowout loss to the Utah Jazz. He has been the subject of trade rumors as the Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly interested in him, but coach Steve Nash said Sunday afternoon that Harden would not be getting traded.
“He’s continually reiterated that he wants to be here, and we’ve continually said that we want him here. That’s our best chance to win.”
– Steve Nash on James Harden pic.twitter.com/6jdiVymCVp
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) February 6, 2022
Philadelphia 76ers general manager Daryl Morey ran the Rockets while Harden played in Houston. A report earlier this week indicated the Sixers could be interested in moving Ben Simmons and other players to acquire Harden and reunite him with his old general manager.
Simmons, as you know, hasn’t played a minute for the Sixers this season as he holds out while wanting a trade. The NBA’s trade deadline is on Thursday. If Simmons isn’t moved by then he’ll be a part of the Sixers for the rest of the season.
Brooklyn, meanwhile, is mired in a seven-game losing streak, which is pretty representative of their 2022 so far. Since Jan. 1, the Nets are 6-13 as Kevin Durant has missed time because of a knee injury. They lost some of those games to good teams, like the Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies, but they also lost games to teams they most certainly should not be losing to, like the Sacramento Kings, Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers.
If the Nets aren’t able to salvage a win against the Nuggets on Sunday night and their losing streak extends to eight games, they’ll fall out of sixth place in the Eastern Conference. That’s a big deal. The top six teams automatically advance to the playoffs while the teams that finish Nos. 7-10 must compete in the play-in tournament for the final two playoff spots.
