James Harden is reportedly adding the Boston Celtics to their list of favorite destinations

James Harden wants out of Houston, what we know. But his list of favorite destinations is expanding, and he now includes the Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers, according to Athletic ‘s Sam Amick and Kelly Iko. The Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets have been at the top of that list since early December.

It makes sense for Harden to expand that list of destinations. On Christmas Eve, there does not appear to be a contract to trade the upcoming superstition. He has made it very clear that he wants to trade, so landing spots is the best thing for him to do. To put it simply, it can help him achieve his goal of leaving town. But the Celtics are an interesting destination, as they are already in win-now mode and have interesting assets. So is this a reasonable opportunity?

Keep in mind that Harden not adding Boston to his list of favorite destinations means mutual interest. It was widely reported over the past month that the Celtics looked into Harden but came out with no interest in picking up the 31-year-old. Nevertheless, if that changes, Boston has the funds to make some legitimate noise in pursuit of Harden.

If you are Danny Ainge, you definitely have to ask. Harden is one of the best pure scores in the game. So that he would not feel out of the market, especially if he has expressed interest, it would not make any sense. Harden also has a definite two years on his contract (the third season is a player of choice), meaning you wouldn’t have to worry about losing him for nothing next summer. Boston needs to do its due diligence if they haven’t already.

This really comes down to the Celtics headquarters. If they want to engage in Harden hard-sweeping, they can put themselves into the thick of it. Could Ainge and Co. be shy because of their previous efforts, though? Just two years ago, Kyrie Irving left for Brooklyn in a free agency, leaving the Celtics empty. Giving up a fortune for Harden, just seeing him leave after two years would be a brutal blow to the group’s long-term plans. But they want to give it a try – what would a Boston trade package look like?

Jaylen Brown is instantly becoming the Celtics ’most iconic asset with Jayson Tatum inaccessible. Brown is highly valued thanks to a solid contract and an All-Star skill margin (it is unlikely to be long until he finds an All-Star Weekend). Marcus Smart makes a lot of sense here too, considering the element that matches salary when paired with Brown. He’s a young, starting point guard who seems to be a good asset around the league. Robert Williams, Romeo Langford and others could be additional young assets along with select versions, but for a star like Harden, you would have to think that the deal starts with Brown and Smart and finish with one or two younger players as well as selected versions in the future.

Another important question to play here: Where does Boston see the top of Brown? If they feel it is approaching that mark with very little room for future growth, they may be willing to share ways with the 24-year-old. I don’t see that as such, though, especially after his opening season against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. If Brown continues to improve as a player with the ball in his hands, his top will continue to rise rapidly.

If Houston is looking to make a deal with Boston, it really comes down to how much they value Brown. He would be at the heart of a deal, along with Smart, that would allow a very nice trade package going back to the Rockets. It’s important to note what the Celtics value both Smart and Brown. They are at the heart of Boston ‘s current structure, and it is clear that the group is thinking highly of them both. It would not be easy for the head office to share ways with the young couple.

I’m not so sure Boston is the right place for Harden, and I don’t think Harden is the right player for the Celtics. They have a good thing going on with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown serving as the building blocks of the franchise. A contract for Harden tends to mean giving up Brown, but he also pushes Harden to a less familiar position. Harden has been involved in running the show in Houston for some time now. That kind of thing doesn’t happen in Boston, so it would be interesting to see how it connects to the organizational culture of the Celtics. From a long-term perspective, it makes a lot more sense for Boston to steer clear of the Harden trade. Do you really want to trade two young heart pieces for a superstitious person who could walk out the door in two years? That doesn’t seem like a good plan to me. It’s also important to consider how Harden has gone in a month or so. That alone should reassure Boston as they consider taking out a mortgage in the future.

Again, Danny Ainge has gone for the home purchase several times before. At times it worked (Garnett, Allen), and other times it didn’t work (Kyrie Irving). These latter could make Boston lazy in following Harden, and it should, but time will tell if they want to take a swing at a blocking deal. For my money, Harden doesn’t make sense to the Celtics.