Brooklyn Nets: 3 former James Harden teammates to sign

The Brooklyn Nets not only benefit from the on-court wizardry of Kevin Durant and James Harden, but they can also lean on the fact that both of them might be able to entice ring-chasing veterans to fill out the rest of Brooklyn’s bench.

Durant’s ability to network has already been proven to work, as the additions of Jeff Green in free agency and Blake Griffin via buyout shows the pull that KD has. Harden might not be quite that magnetic, but there are plenty of former teammates of his that could be looking for a new home.

During Harden’s time in Houston, he was surrounded by players that were able to perfectly fill a role on some Rockets teams that were inches away from getting to the Finals before running into a buzzsaw in Golden State.

In order to help the Nets retool with the goal of taking down a Milwaukee team that could throw a major wrench into Brooklyn’s plans to dominate the conference, the Nets should try to sign one of these three former Harden teammates in order to get some depth on the bench.

These 3 former James Harden teammates could sign with the Brooklyn Nets.

3. Trevor Ariza, Miami Heat

While Ariza has quite literally been traded more times than any player in NBA history, there is a reason that he stuck around for so long in Houston, as his ability to shoot the lights out and defend basically any position on the floor made him valuable in a Mike D’Antoni offense that emphasized both of those traits.

D’Antoni is helping Steve Nash run the show in Brooklyn, meaning that he could help Ariza assimilate into the rotation. Even after he turned 36, his skills from beyond the arc were still as good as ever during his time with Miami.

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Trevor Ariza would give the Brooklyn Nets shooting and defense.

Ariza’s refusal to play for Oklahoma City before ending up with the Heat proves that he is clearly in ring-chasing mode. With the Nets a lock to be among the favorites for the title, Ariza might be intrigued enough to become Brooklyn’s small forward of choice off of the bench.

For all of the criticism of D’Antoni’s style of play, which Nash has almost copied and pasted in Brooklyn, Harden and Ariza have both played some of the best basketball of their careers in that system. Brooklyn represents the perfect confluence of statistical potential, playing time, and championship prospects for Ariza.

2. Austin Rivers, Denver Nuggets

Like Ariza, Rivers has bounced around the league plenty during his career, with 2020-21 beginning with him as a struggling backup on the Knicks before he made the trip to Denver in order to aid in Nikola Jokic’s postseason run.

Rivers’ 7.9 points per game average on a 42% shooting clip certainly won’t force the Nets to get on the line with his agent instantly, but he’s shown over the years that he is capable of getting hot from 3-point range and carrying a team for a quarter or so. He could be a quality sparkplug off of the bench.

Austin Rivers would be a solid bench player for the Nets.

Plus, he hates the Knicks! Never a bad thing.

While Rivers’ best years in the league came under his father with the Clippers, his 8.7 points per game in Houston was higher than what he produced in New Orleans, New York, Washington, or Denver. That D’Antoni system just gets the most out of guards, and Rivers could stand to benefit once again.

The Nets might have Harden and Kyrie Irving to handle the ball, but Rivers’ prior experience at point guard could help him take up some point guard minutes when both Harden and Irving are resting. Just days away from turning 29, Rivers has a ton of good basketball left to show off.

1. Dwight Howard, Philadelphia 76ers

What a journey Howard has had. From his time as one of the greatest centers in NBA history with Orlando to somewhat underwhelming stints in LA and Houston to several years as a double-double merchant for some anonymous Eastern Conference teams, Howard has reinvented himself in the last two years.

With the Lakers and 76ers, Howard has shown he can be the interior size and rebounding injection off of the bench championship teams need.

Assuming that the Nets either retain Griffin or promote Nicolas Claxton to the starting lineup, Brooklyn should look to bring Howard to town. The Nets need rebounding and defense, so why not add someone who is going to the Hall of Fame off of those two traits?

Dwight Howard could be the rebounder the Nets need.

Howard won’t fill up the offensive stat sheet anymore, but with so much legendary scoring power next to him, he won’t need him to score at all. Just prevent opponents from doing the same and the Nets will feel good about their purchase.

Oddly enough, Howard was on the Nets for a brief period of time before he was waived and ended up in Washington. With Dwight having rehabilitated his value and establishing himself as a veteran big off of the bench since then, he could have some real value for a Nets team that could stand to add some muscle.

Brooklyn Nets: 3 cheaper free agent point guards to chase

The Brooklyn Nets should do everything they can to lure one of these three impending free-agent point guards to New York City.