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Atlanta Hawks: The pros and cons of trading for James Harden

By Matthew Hallett

Atlanta Hawks. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Hawks. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks. Mandatory Credit: Carmen Mandato/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports /

Atlanta Hawks con No. 1) James Harden is past 30 years old

Harden does not fit with the current timeline of the Hawks. At the age of 31, he has maybe four or five good seasons left in him. The Hawks have added veterans to supplement their young core and Harden would most probably upset this balance.

Add to this Harden has played a lot of NBA minutes over his career. After the age of 30, a player tends to get more injuries. Chris Paul is an obvious exception to this rule but he is taking good care of his body. Harden appears to come back every offseason out of shape and uses the start of the season to get fit again. This can not be good long term for his body.

Atlanta Hawks con No. 2) The Hawks already have a franchise point guard

The Hawks already have their franchise point guard in Trae Young. Since joining the Hawks three seasons ago, Young has averaged 23.7 points and 8.6 assists per game. He may not have the rebounding prowess of Harden but that is not why he is on the team.

Young is also only 22 years old so has almost ten years of NBA miles less on his body than Harden. Young is going to try and be the franchise cornerstone in Atlanta for as long as he can and the Hawks seem very happy with him in that role.