Why Boston does it: Pretty simple logic here - if you can trade for James Harden w/o giving up Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum, you do it.

I don't care about the optics of trading Kemba a year after he signed here, he's on the wrong side of 30 w/ (potentially lingering) knee issues. I also love Smart (& would give up a kidney for him) but when his contract is up after next year, do we really want to resign him for like 20 mill per year?? On top of this, Theis is gone after this season anyway as they won't have money to resign him & Romeo is still unproven, albeit still very young.

At the end of the day, the trio of Brown-Harden-Tatum would create a virtually-impossible-to-defend, three-headed monster in Boston.

Why HOUSTON does it: Also pretty simple logic here - Harden already has one foot out the door. He's openly asking to be moved while his list of destinations expands by the day. It's apparent not many teams (if any) are going to give up anything of incredible value for him right now either w/ his ongoing off-court theatrics.

The Rockets would probably prefer a top young (proven) talent for him (ahem ahem, Jaylen Brown) but how about the next best thing? Maybe a top draft pick in an incredibly deep 2021 NBA draft (aka the Knicks 1st-round pick this year)? ... Package that with Marcus Smart, Daniel Theis, Frank Ntilikina, Romeo Langford, & two other future 1st-rounders & this is the type of package you start a rebuild with.

Why NEW YORK does it: Two things here - a) Bringing Kemba home to NY .. & b) The Knicks awful luck in the lottery.

The chance to see Kemba Walker wearing Knick blue and orange alone would make some New Yorkers salivate for this deal. But then throw in the fact that all they would have to do is give up one first-rounder that would still be top-3 protected (& Ntilikina) to get him? Absolute no brainer.