James Harden told Sam Amick of The Athletic that his reps met with the Houston Rockets while he was under contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was in the meeting.
Amick: So there’s another subplot that I’m hoping you can speak on. We all knew that going back to Houston was a pretty serious possibility for you if you hit free agency, but then they decided against it. It’s been reported that you told them you wanted to go back to being a scoring champ and to go back to being the guy who played that Rockets style basketball, and that it was a turnoff that led to them changing their minds. Is there truth to that?
Harden: Where is the personnel for that on that team? And in the last three or four years, what have I been trying to accomplish (in terms of playmaking)?
Amick: Who was in the meeting?
Harden: Representation, (Rockets) head coach (Ime Udoka). That was it.
The Rockets opted not to reunite with Harden and used their cap space on Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jeff Green, Jock Landale and Aaron Holiday. Udoka told Zach Lowe of ESPN that he preferred signing VanVleet over Harden.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
“Nothing against James,” Udoka told ESPN, “but Fred is just a better fit. I coached James in Brooklyn. He’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever been around. The words ‘Ime doesn’t want James’ never came out of my mouth. It was, ‘Let’s look at the best fit.’ If we want Jalen and the young guys to take the next steps, we need them to have the ball. As for me saying I don’t want James, that was never the case. It was about fit.”
After the Sixers didn’t offer Harden a max contract, The Beard opted into his player option and requested a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers. Harden is making $35.6 million this season. He becomes an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
The Rockets are 8-9 on the season, the Sixers are 12-7 and the Clippers are 9-10.
Harden is averaging 15.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists with the Clippers while shooting 46.2% from the field, 40.0% from beyond the arc and 85.2% from the free-throw line.
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