Putting the All Stars availability for tonight's season opener in question.

Sources telling our Tim MacMahon.

Now that video was published by Black Sports Online, it reportedly was from a Houston Strip Clubs Christmas party that was held this week.

And this is all guys coming off of yesterday's report, where, according to the athletic, Harding had multiple verbal confrontations with teammates at practice.

Also threw a ball at J.

Shaun Tait.

So, Max, I want to start with you Here.

Are all of these off the court actions by Harden going to affect his trade value?

No, I don't really think so, because I think everyone knows what he's doing.

You know, unless teams are looking going well, if he's not happy here, he'll pull the same thing.

But you know, if a superstar wants to leave and he's not being accommodated, this is their leverage.

So it's pretty clear hardens acting out in order to get in effect.

Stephen A.

Whether or not how, how much that effects his trade value.

I'll leave to you.

I'll tell you what I think is absolutely affected.

His trade value I mentioned off the top of the show.

If I were the Nets, I would not trade for Harden.

Not because he's not a great player, but because their depth really showed itself.

Yet last night, the way they shared the ball, the whole thing.

I'll tell you who else I wouldn't trade.

If I were another team.

I wouldn't trade Ben Simmons for James Harden.

Not after last night.

Stephen A.

Because if you watch the Brooklyn Nets, there's one guy on the Sixers that you're like, Okay, there's no defending Kevin Durant.

But the guy who could do the best possible job is Ben Simmons, who I thought when active was the best defender in the world last year.

If I'm the Sixers and I'm watching K d last night, I'm going.

He's already at least 80% k d.

We're gonna need Ben Simmons on that cat right on.

I'm not trading MBI.

So what does that leave you with spare parts?

So I think right now, after last night in the way k d look especially in the way the Nets look our the Nets.

I wouldn't trade for him if I were the Sixers.

I wouldn't give up Simmons Forum if his trade value is going down.

I think it's based on that stuff on court considerations after last night, more than it is on his misbehavior off the court in order to force a trade.

Well, first of all, let me say a couple of things.

Number one.

If you talk to the Houston Rockets, they will tell you they're not getting the quality office for James Harden that one would anticipate from a league leading scorer over the last three years.

Where average over 30 they expected better office.

They're not getting those quality office from him.

That's why he's still in the Houston Rockets uniforms.

Just to make sure that I, you know, from our with editorial perspective, I point that out.

The other thing that I would say, is this.

When you talk about Ben Simmons in the fashion that you do, Max, it comes down to this.

If you're the Philadelphia 76 is, is it a long term view where it's a marathon?

It's not a sprint and you're thinking about 34 and five years down the road or you're talking about the Brooklyn Nets and what they are and what they're trying to be and how you're going to compete with them because I got news for you.

Ben Simmons, not having any kind of perimeter game whatsoever, is not going to get it done for the Philadelphia 76 is when all is said and done, I don't give a damn how well he plays defense.

There's no one on the Planet Earth that can stop Kevin Durant.

Not even Ben Simmons.

It ain't happening.

Kevin Durant is flowing and he's healthy.

You're not stopping him.

He's still giving you 27 30 at night.

You can book that.

And so because of it, the way the offset it is toe have such prolific firepower offensively that you pressurize and opposing offense by highlighting for them the inability or or just being cautious enough not to make mistakes because you will pay a price.

It's not that James Harden is gonna give you The defense that Ben Simmons is going to give you is that his offense is so prolific it puts more pressure on an opposing offense to be productive because you know, this brother is coming now to get to the part about off court issues impacting hardens trade value.

We completely agree on that.

We're totally on the same page.

It has no effect.

And here's why.

Everyone knows what James Harden is doing.

James Harden is a professional year, the late this year being, you know, preferential treatment.

We get all of that.

But this brother plays hurt.

He doesn't miss games.

He doesn't engage in gay in load management.

He shows up and balls every single night in that regard.

He is a high level professional for him.

Toe act this way, it is clearly and flagrantly on purpose.

He is doing this to bring attention toe everyone and their and their mother.

He does not want to be a Houston rocket any longer.

He wants out, and he I don't want to call him the modern day t o or whatever When T O was trying to get out of this contract in Philadelphia, because that's what those push ups were about in his driveway when Andy Reid sent him home and all of that other stuff Thio wanted a new contract he wanted out of Philadelphia.

Philadelphia made it clear they were not going to give it to him.

And as a result, he was advised by Drew Rosenhaus, essentially toe act up to some degree that force his way out of Philadelphia.

In this case, that's what James Harden is doing.

He's trying to force his way out of Houston.

He does not want to be a Houston Rocket.

He wants out by any means necessary.

And he is creating ah, headache because he knows that's the on leeway with two years left on his contract that he could possibly get his way.

He's not that guy.

He's not stupid by any stretch of the imagination.

He's doing it on purpose because he wants out.

Other teams know that, and if he fills their needs without them having the mortgage, the farm to get him, they're not gonna hold this against him one bit, because they know what he's doing.

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