New Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka didn’t want James Harden to come back to Houston this summer, according to NBA insider Steve Pulpett of Heavy Sports.
Udoka, who guided the Boston Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals but was let go due to unspecified violations of team policies, was hired by the Rockets in April.
“From everything we’ve gotten out of there, it was a matter that Ime didn’t want him,” one league source told Heavy Sports. “At the beginning, were they thinking about Harden? Yeah. But then they hired Ime, and Ime said, ‘It’s not going to work here.’”
Harden is one of the greatest players in Rockets franchise history. He’s first all-time in 3-point field goals, free throws, assists, triple-doubles, points per game, player efficiency rating, offensive win shares and box plus-minus.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers & Houston Rockets Updates
While Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta still admires Harden, the franchise decided to use its cap space on Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jock Landale, Jeff Green and Aaron Holiday.
During the 2017-18 season, Harden averaged 30.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists, winning the MVP Award and leading the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals. However, the Golden State Warriors defeated Houston in seven games.
Harden requested a trade from the Rockets in 2020-21 and was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. The 10-time All-Star played in 80 games with the Nets before getting traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2021-22. Harden averaged 21.0 points and 10.7 assists this past season for the Sixers. He led the NBA in assists per game for the second time in his career.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers & Houston Rockets Updates
The 33-year-old Harden has opted into his 2023-24 player option and is working with the Sixers on a trade. The three-time scoring champion wants to get traded to the Los Angeles Clippers and is extremely upset at the way in which the Sixers handled his possible free agency.
Want the latest NBA analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click Here. Follow NBA Analysis Network on Twitter and Facebook.
