James Harden Gets Traded Before The NBA Trade Deadline
There is only so much an organization can do and deal with until it is time to move on from a player and time is ticking on James Harden’s time with the Houston Rockets. After an unsuccessful season last year, the Rockets moved on from head coach Mike D’Antoni and GM Daryl Morey, two members of the Rockets’ organization over the years who had a strong relationship with James Harden.
These moves were bound to happen sooner than later as a result of the Rockets lack of success with a championship caliber roster over the years and ownership decided to make the move this offseason. They then decided to get rid of Russell Westbrook after one season and brought in John Wall, who was great back in 2016, but has not played basketball since December of 2018. The Rockets also signed former All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, who has suffered three major injuries in the last three seasons, allowing him to play in just 78 games since the start of the 2017-18 season.
The championship window in Houston has closed and James Harden has definitely realized this, as he opted to decline signing a contract extension with the Houston Rockets last year that would have made him the first $50M/year player in NBA history. Who knows which reports about James Harden are actually true and which ones are fake, but it is no secret that he does not seem to care anymore about the Rockets and want to be traded to a championship contender.
He has given the Rockets a hard time with showing up to training camp and instead, has been seen on videos on social media partying in nightclubs with his friends. Trading Harden is no small feat for the Houston Rockets and they will have to make sure they are getting the most they can possibly get in return for the former league MVP and reigning, 3x scoring champion.
By the time the trade deadline comes along, I fully expect the Rockets to have had enough of Harden’s game and drama and as a result, they will move him to a championship contender. Whether it be the Brooklyn Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers or another team, James Harden will not be on the Rockets roster by the end of the 2020-21 NBA season and will shake up the NBA wherever he goes.
