This season, one of the biggest stories in the NBA rumor mill is centered around James Harden. Starting back on Christmas day, reports emerged that the former MVP is open to the idea of reuniting with the Houston Rockets.
As most know, Harden had some of the best years of his career with the Rockets. However, their time together did not end smoothly. After requesting to be traded, he showed up out of shape and showed little interest on the court. Houston then had no choice but to trade him to the Brooklyn Nets.
This year, the All-Star guard found himself with arguably his best opportunity to win a title. Alongside league MVP Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers looked like a clear-cut title contender. That all came to an end when they surrendered a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Boston Celtics.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Paul George, Jalen Green, James Harden & Houston Rockets Updates
During a recent episode of his podcast, Paul George spoke to Jalen Green about the Harden to Houston rumors. He feels the team shouldn’t be targeting him because it won’t be good for the development of their young core.
“Personally, I wouldn’t (pursue Harden),” George told Green. “At this point, that’s your [team]. Like, you’re the King of Houston. They made their decision…on who the future is…When you pick a guy with the fourth pick, he’s our guy. They full-on committed to who the future is. Like you got to go through this. You got to go through being double-teamed, triple-teamed, being a target every time. You gotta go through that.”
Over the past few years, the Rockets have been able to land multiple young prospects with good potential. Another one will be entering the fray this summer as they have the fourth overall pick in the NBA Draft. Bringing in a ball-dominant star like Harden not only disrupts the team’s timeline but could impact development in a big way as well.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Paul George, Jalen Green, James Harden & Houston Rockets Updates
As George mentioned, guys need to face tough defenses if they’re going to grow. With all the attention on Harden, someone like Jalen Green will have an easier time attacking opponents. This will be good in the short term but will affect his long-term growth.
Harden has already declined his player option for next season, only making the noise of this possible reunion louder.
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