The Houston Rockets remain in limbo when it comes to James Harden’s current situation. He remains intent on being traded to a different team with the Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers listed as preferred destinations.

According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, if the Heat were to put Tyler Herro on the table in trade discussions, their offer for Harden ‘trumps anything’ the Nets can offer in a trade package.

The main limitation the Nets face when fielding a potential trade package is how their younger talents simply lack elite potential. Caris LeVert is already 26-years-old, has an injury history, and has yet to consistently put together his impact at a high-level when other standouts are healthy.

For the Houston Rockets, trading away Harden has to land a young player with higher potential than LeVert. During the NBA playoffs, Tyler Herro displayed impressive signs and when considering he will be only 21-years-old in late January, that gives the Heat an edge.

Moving on from Harden would signal a legitimate long-term rebuild for the Rockets. It would simply be too difficult to stay afloat in the Western Conference hoping that John Wall, Christian Wood, and DeMarcus Cousins can be enough. That makes adding Herro as part of a potential trade package a helpful outcome.

The 76ers could trump all potential trade packages for James Harden if they were willing to include Ben Simmons in talks. Based on how the situation has unfolded, that appears to be unnecessary unless a dark-horse suitor were to offer the Houston Rockets a crazy package.

One factor to take into consideration is how Daryl Morey’s involvement with the Philadelphia 76ers could put them at a disadvantage compared to the Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat. Simply put, Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta likely won’t want to give Morey a superstar like James Harden.