James Harden to Nets? Brooklyn now second-favorite to win 2021 NBA title with heavy betting action ahead of possible trade

It has been a wild week in the NBA with several big trades and the draft on Wednesday, and with free agency starting Friday evening, things could continue to be hectic over the weekend. All eyes are on Houston as the Rockets could look very different this season, which begins Dec. 22, as both of their All-Star guards, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, have requested trades in the wake of Houston's offseason shakeup in the front office and on the coaching staff. 

We examined Westbrook's possible landing spots recently, while Harden reportedly has made it clear he has one preferred trade destination: Brooklyn. Bettors at William Hill sportsbook seem to think a deal could happen because Nets futures odds to win the 2021 Eastern Conference and NBA title have both shrunk dramatically this week.

Needless to say, the Rockets can trade Harden anywhere they want to – or simply hold on to him and hope the former league MVP and three-time NBA scoring champion changes his mind. However, when stars in the NBA want to go somewhere, they usually get their way because they hold all the power for the most part. Just think Anthony Davis to the Lakers as one recent example.

Clearly, Harden wants out as ESPN reported Monday night the he turned down a two-year, $103 million extension from Houston that would have made "the Beard" the first player in league history to earn $50 million per year. Sports Illustrated has reported that the Rockets want to find a landing spot for Westbrook before deciding what to do with Harden and could well open the season with both still on the roster. 

Harden would form quite the trio on the Nets with former Thunder teammate Kevin Durant and fellow All-Star Kyrie Irving, both of whom are returning from injuries. Durant missed all of last season and Irving most of it. Are there enough balls to go around for those three? It might be quite the challenge for first-year Nets coach Steve Nash to manage those three egos. Then again, new Nets assistant coach Mike D'Antoni allowed Harden to flourish in Houston.

At William Hill, the Nets had been +850 to win the NBA title and +400 to take the East as recently as Sunday. In the wake of these rumors, bettors have placed a ton of money on Brooklyn to where it is a +500 second-favorite with the Bucks to win the championship (Lakers are first at +325) and a +250 second-favorite (Bucks are first at +230) in the East, although Milwaukee did get better Monday by agreeing to a trade for Jrue Holiday.

It would be a challenge for the Nets to match salaries to land Harden, who is owed $131.5 million over the three seasons remaining on his maximum contract, including a $46.9 million player option in 2022-23. Any Nets package certainly would have to start with Caris LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie.

Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince also may have to be involved along with draft picks. Houston really needs picks after trading two first-rounders and two first-round pick swaps in the Westbrook deal last offseason to the Thunder. 

While Harden prefers Brooklyn, he also reportedly would consider Philadelphia. The 76ers' new boss is Daryl Morey, who stepped down as Rockets general manager recently. Rapper Meek Mill and billionaire Michael Rubin are among those attempting to pitch Harden on forcing a deal to the City of Brotherly Love.

With Harden under contract for at least two more years, the Rockets are likely to begin the 2020-21 season with him on the roster unless he starts makings things very uncomfortable. Could be the same with Westbrook. 

Houston did make two trades this week, shipping Robert Covington to Portland for Trevor Ariza and draft picks and then flipping Ariza to Detroit and the No. 16 overall pick Wednesday for a future first-rounder. Those deals seem to make the Rockets worse on paper for the immediate future, so it remains to be seen if it affects their decisions on Harden and Westbrook. 

While the NBA schedule hasn't been released yet and likely will be -- the first half of it, anyways -- around Dec. 1, William Hill has released 72-game win totals. As of now, the Rockets' total is not included because they could undergo such a big overhaul soon.

Who wins every NFL game this week? And which teams cover more than 50 percent of the time? Get picks here from the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times and ranked in the Top 10 on NFLPickWatch three of the past four years on straight-up NFL picks.