One could argue that the Houston Rockets organization had one of the worst off seasons of 2020. Hours after losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals, head coach, Mike D'antoni, told the team he would not be returning for the next season. When the team got back to Houston after participating in the bubble, general manager, Daryl Morey, notified owner, Tilman Fertitta, that he also would not be returning to the team. With Westbrook and Harden announcing that they as well wanted out of Houston, the future of the franchise was not looking too bright. Even after trading Westbrook to the Wizards, the Rockets continued to make “win now” moves going into the season, in an attempt to change James Harden’s thoughts on his future with the team. There has been much drama surrounding the former MVP guard over the past couple months, frustrating fans, players, staff, and even the commissioner of the league. What is really going on within the Houston Rockets organization?
Harden was brought into Houston in 2012, and ever since then, the team has been going all in to try to pair him with other superstars. Going back to the 2013-2014 NBA season, GM Daryl Morey brought in former All-NBA First Team center, Dwight Howard. This duo of Harden and Howard did not get far in the playoffs at first, as Portland’s Damian Lillard ended their championship hopes with an iconic fadeaway three that eliminated Houston in the first round. The following year, Golden State ended Houston’s title chances in the 2015 Western Conference Finals. This is the furthest this duo got due to a lackluster 2016 playoffs. However with Howard's departure and new coach Mike D’antoni’s arrival, Harden brought his team back to the second round in 2017, only to be eliminated by the Spurs.
The next season was a complete success for James Harden and his new backcourt partner, Chris Paul. Harden took home the MVP award and led his team to the best record in the NBA. James and Paul pushed the Warriors to seven games in the Western Conference Finals, and most likely would have had a significant chance at becoming NBA champions if it wasn’t for a Chris Paul injury in the middle of the Golden State series. After this season, Houston decided to run it back with the duo of Harden and Paul. They disappointed many by losing in the second round once again. It was time to change things up again in H-Town. Russell Westbrook, former teammate and good friend of James Harden became available on the trade market and Daryl Morey jumped at the opportunity of reuniting Harden with his former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate. Westbrook’s arrival changed the entire style of Rocket’s basketball. Daryl Morey shipped away young center Clint Capela for forward, Robert Covington, in an attempt to play “small ball.” Small ball is a style of play in which there is no true big man on the court. This new concept only brought the team to the second round once again. This continuing disappointment would lead the franchise into the predicament they face today.
Once the 2019-2020 season came to a close, Houston staff members met with Westbrook and Harden to discuss the future of the organization and their careers. After this meeting, Westbrook decided that he wanted out of the organization after only one season. It was difficult for Russ to accept the role of being the second option again after he controlled the team in OKC for three years because of Durant’s departure from the Thunder for Golden State in 2016. Even after James Harden announced that he as well wanted a change of scenery, new general manager, Rafael Stone, traded Westbrook for John Wall and a first round pick. This trade was done for one main reason and that was to try to change Harden’s view on the team’s future.
Trading for John Wall is a massive risk considering the fact that he hasn’t played an NBA since 2018. Signing center Demarcus Cousins was another win now move. Cousins was considered to be the best center in the league by many before his injury. Cousins missed all of last season with an ACL injury. There is hope that he and Wall can come back strong after seeing them perform well in preseason. In John Wall’s first game back this preseason, he put up 13 points with 5 rebounds and 9 assists to go along with it. Early on in the game, Cousins hit a three pointer off a pass from Wall. That is the first of many plays reminding fans of the Wall and Cousins that once played together during their college days at Kentucky. The two remained close throughout their careers and have been looking for ways to reunite. As the season goes on, the two will show if they can get back to their all-star caliber play again.
A couple of good preseason games from those two hasn’t seemed to be enough to convince Harden to commit to the city that has put so much into him. When questioned by the media, Harden refused to answer a question regarding his stance on the moves his team made to attempt to keep their superstar. This came after newly acquired teammate, John Wall, told reporters that James was “all in” on this season. Harden has somewhat come through on that comment considering the fact that he played his best during the season opener putting up an MVP statline. Harden had 44 points along with 17 assists in the Rocket’s overtime loss to Portland. Harden has said that he won’t take the game for granted and will continue to play for Houston as long as he’s on the team.
Although Harden has said and acted like he is committed to play out this year with Houston, it didn’t seem that way at all going into this season. Harden didn’t show up to the team’s training camp when facilities were finally opened up due to COVID-19. The real reason James didn’t show up right away is somewhat confusing to create an opinion on. There is a video of Harden without a mask at what appears to be a club. This ultimately resulted in James being fined by the NBA. Harden denies being at a strip club while the rest of his team was getting prepared for the season. Instead, James posted on his Instagram story that he was supporting his friend for being promoted. He also said that,“no matter how many times people try to drag my name under you can’t.” Harden told the media that he was not partying during his absence from training camp, but instead was training with his personal trainers. Considering the fact that James showed up to Rocket’s camp in not so great shape, training with personal trainers does not seem to be where Harden spent his time away from the team. New head coach, Stephen Silas, has not helped make the situation any clearer for Houston. Although Silas said he and Harden had a good conversation, Silas still stirs questions about how long Harden could remain on the team.
Another aspect of all this drama to take note of is the team’s play throughout the season. Even though they were missing arguably three of the top five players on the team, the Rocket’s were one possession away from beating the Trailblazers on Saturday night. The shorthanded Rockets struggled to contain CJ Mccolumn, but the offense looked stellar. Harden and new big man, Christian Wood, look like they could become a dangerous duo in transition and the pick and roll. Wood posted a 31 point, 13 rebound, double double and shot great from the field. Harden and Wood carried the Rockets to what was almost a big win against a team that made the Western Conference Finals only two years ago. In the loss to Denver last night, the Rockets were playing from behind the whole game but simply couldn’t contain Jokic. Houston struggled to defend big men last season and with only one true big on the floor last night, that task didn’t get any easier. Cousins will likely begin the year as the sixth man, so having another center coming off the bench to put on Jokic would have definitely helped slow him down. When Wall, Cousins, and Gordon return, the team will for sure improve on both sides of the ball. Imagine what this team could look like with a lineup of Wall, Harden, Gordon, Wood, and Cousins closing out games. With PJ Tucker and Danuel House also on the team, Houston could be a force to be reckoned with even without James Harden considering the assets they would get in return for him.Here are a few potential trades that could very well be put in place before the trade deadline on March 25th.
As of right now, seven teams can be considered the favorites to land the former MVP. Those teams are Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Miami, Denver, Boston, Toronto, and Golden State in order of the most likely destinations in the majority of people’s eyes. Here are reasons that each team could potentially put together a trade for Harden and why they are ranked in that particular order.
Philadelphia 76ers:
The Sixers can put together what seems to be the best package for James Harden. Ben Simmons will be required to put in any James Harden trade and Rocket’s GM, Rafael Stone, wants more than just Simmons. Matisse Thybulle and at least one first round pick must be included. From Philly’s side of things, this is an excellent trade for their title chances putting even more shooting around Embiid and creating what should become a top three duo in the league behind Lebron and AD and Durant and Irving. Daryl Morey, former Rockets GM of 13 years, will likely pull the trigger on a James Harden trade if Simmons and Embiid underperform once again this season. Pairing Simmons with John Wall in Houston is not a great fit considering each point guard prefers to attack the basket. Simmons’ upside would make the deal worth the awkward fit for Houston.
Brooklyn Nets:
After losing Dinwiddie for the season in the first week, the Brooklyn Nets won’t be able to put together a trade for Harden unless it involves a third team providing the Rockets with more assets. Reuniting Harden with the head coach he performed his best under, Mike D’antoni, and forward Kevin Durant seems like an excellent idea. How well could the trio of Harden, Durant, and Irving perform with a lackluster surrounding cast is the question. The Nets would have to sacrifice pretty much all of their depth for James, but it could prove to be worth the risk. As for Houston, the return from the Nets would be nowhere near as much as Harden is worth. A third team will need to get involved in order to get Harden to his preferred destination.
Miami Heat:
Pat Riley has assembled an excellent team in Miami, building mostly through the draft aside from the Jimmy Butler signing. Tyler Herro is who the Rockets really want in return for their beloved superstar. The Heat are adamant to give up Herro for Harden, but in reality, giving him up while not losing too much depth outside of Herro and Dragic, who will likely be included to match salaries, could easily bring the Heat back to the Finals. On Houston’s side of things, Herro would add even more shooting to the starting lineup while Dragic and whoever else is included will create a very solid bench.
Denver Nuggets:
Denver has become a rising team in the Harden rumors. While they are unwilling to give up Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr is available but talks about him have not progressed. Creating a big three of Jokic, Murray, and James Harden will become one of the best offensive trios in the game. Adding Harden to a team that made the Western Conference Finals last season would definitely give them a real shot at dethroning the Lakers as Western Conference Champs. Michael Porter Jr is perhaps the best fit for the Rockets. Moving Gordon back to the two and having Porter Jr at the 3 with Tucker back at the 4 will create a great starting lineup and give the team more size. This trade seems to be the most logical for boat sides considering Houston will also acquire first round picks and a favorite for the Most Improved player award this season.
Boston Celtics:
GM Danny Ainge is the main reason the Celtics are this high in the most probable destinations for Harden. Ainge is always looking to improve the team and is known for ripping off the Brooklyn Nets in the Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce trade. Houston fans should be wanting Harden to to get traded elsewhere simply due to the fact that Ainge is capable of giving up much less than he is getting in return. Once again, a trade to the Celtics will likely require a third party since Ainge won’t give up Jaylen Brown or Tatum and Houston won’t pursue Kemba Walker. The return for Harden in this trade is unknown, but Marcus Smart and young big man, Robert Williams, will likely end up in Houston if a trade is completed.
Toronto Raptors:
Once again, their general manager is the main reason a Harden trade to Toronto is a possibility. Masai Ujiri has given up fan favorites for superstars and it has won him championships so there is no reason he wouldn’t do it again. After losing their chances at Giannis this off season, like the Miami Heat, Toronto will be looking to acquire another superstar to help bring another championship back to Canada. Similar to the Boston trade, the return to Houston is unknown. Vanvleet and Anunoby will likely need to be involved, but the two have both recently resigned so the trade will have to wait until later in the season to make it happen. Acquiring a great 3 and D wing and adding an elite sixth man, or even starting shooting guard, will help the Rockets a lot in their attempt to continue to compete. Toronto may be unwilling to give up both of the two young stars so yet again, there could be a three team trade involving Harden.
Golden State Warriors:
For any Houston fans reading this, it is definitely painful to imagine Harden playing for the team that has broken the hearts of Rocket’s fans year after year. Trading James to Golden State could help the Rockets a lot in their title chances over the next few seasons or even deep into the future. James Wiseman is who Houston should really be going after even after signing multiple big men in the off season in Cousins and Wood. Wiseman has looked like the best rookie in the league after his first couple games and could easily win ROTY, even though it is early to predict such a thing. Wiggins or Oubre would likely be required in a trade to match salaries. The two young forwards have struggled to start the year but there is still lots of potential there. They both would fit right into Houston’s system considering their ability to shoot the 3 and attack the rim. Golden State has previously said that they want no part of Harden, but after early season struggles, that might no longer be the case if they continue. Pairing Harden and Curry in the backcourt would terrorize opposing defenses and may give Golden State the best three point shooting big three in NBA history next year when Klay returns.
There are many unanswered questions in this entire situation with former MVP guard and scoring champ, James Harden. Initially, it seemed it was only a matter of time before Harden was on the move, but could there be a change of thought after Wall, Cousins, and Gordon hit the floor with him and Wood? Will Harden be traded this season? Where will he go? Could he decide to stay? All of these questions will continue to be unanswered until Harden either speaks his mind to the media, or gets shipped off to another organization.
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