James Harden
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Clippers and Cavs have engaged in trade talks involving James Harden
The NBA world was shocked at James Harden being the biggest name to get moved at the trade deadline. Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers reached a shocking end to their time together that saw him shipped to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Clippers hope that Darius Garland will set up a brighter future for the franchise, and Harden believes he has a better chance to contend for an NBA Championship this season.
However, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne claimed that she heard Harden had another choice in mind before Cleveland:
“Harden was interested in reuniting with the Houston Rockets, sources say, a natural fit because their point guard, Fred VanVleet, had torn his ACL before the season. But the Rockets showed little interest in their former MVP.
Cleveland did, however. The Cavaliers were intrigued to see how Harden could elevate their two standout big men, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, and take some of the load off dynamic shooting guard Donovan Mitchell.”
Harden allegedly wanted to have a reunion with the Houston Rockets after spending the best years of his career there. Houston turned down the deal and opted to continue building in their current core of rotation players.
Why James Harden Wanted Houston Return
The logic behind Harden first looking at the Rockets as his next home makes perfect sense. Houston is currently one of the contenders in the Western Conference behind All-Stars Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun. However, they lack a point guard due to Fred VanVleet getting injured before the season and not expected to return any time soon.
Previous rumors saw the Rockets interested in adding a new point guard on the market a few months ago. Things have changed and head coach Ime Udoka confirmed they weren’t looking to do any major moves just last week. Houston seems content to roll the dice with their current roster and hope they can contend.
Next season will be the bigger test with the development of chemistry and the return of VanVleet building higher expectations. Harden realized he could fit their team as the missing piece, but the Rockets front office turned them down.
Why Houston Turned Down James Harden
Many Rockets fans are likely annoyed that Harden didn’t come home to the franchise he’s considered a top two all-time player for. The former MVP sees Houston as his NBA home, and he will likely wear their jersey for his eventual Hall of Fame induction.
Rockets management turned down any trade talks for Harden due to the pieces they’d have to give up. Either the young prospects or future potentially valuable draft picks would have been needed for the Clippers to send them Harden. Houston decided against hurting their future for the addition of Harden to the roster.
Harden has chemistry with Durant after playing together on two teams and often improves the play of centers like Sengun. Unfortunately for him, the Rockets didn’t lack the risk of sacrificing their defensive identity nor did they believe it was worth giving up assets for the aging point guard.