The Houston Rockets still face a need to find a trade package suitable enough for NBA superstar James Harden. Between the Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers, a deal hasn’t quite transpired, but could in the relative near future.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Rockets plan to start the 2020-21 NBA season with Harden in the lineup, but are ‘exhibiting a desire’ to execute a trade ‘as soon as possible.’
The Rockets are planning to start the season next week with Harden sharing the backcourt with John Wall but are exhibiting a desire to teams that they’ll move on completing a deal as soon as possible, sources said.
It seems the Rockets understand there isn’t a point in trying to salvage the organization’s relationship with Harden. Both sides appear to hold a stance where moving on is a mutually beneficial outcome after the team’s recent attempts to win a championship came up short.
The culture of the Rockets appears to be unsalvageable under Harden’s watch. The team mortgaged its future to appease his recent failed desired star trade targets just for all of them to fail. Now, there’s nothing left to work with in order to field a championship contender.
The 76ers have been the team most linked to Harden and that only intensified as of late. Philadelphia is reportedly willing to include Ben Simmons in a potential trade package in order to get a potential deal done— based on reports from reputable NBA insiders.
It’s difficult for many teams to justify giving up the necessary compensation to acquire Harden from the Rockets since he could depart in the near future. With the 76ers having Ben Simmons and being on Harden’s preferred destination’s list, Philadelphia appears to be most likely to get something done.
The Houston Rockets may need to become willing to receive less in a potential trade for James Harden if they want to get something done sooner rather than later. So far, it seems the price has been too steep for a potential trade suitor to get offer enough.
