7:55pm: The Rockets offered Harden the maximum allowable extension — a two-year, $103MM deal that would start in 2023 — but he turned it down, according to Wojnarowski. There has been contact between Houston and Brooklyn, Harden’s desired destination, but there’s been no meaningful dialogue, Wojnarowski adds.
While Harden is seeking a trade, he appears “singularly focused” on Brooklyn as a landing spot, per Wojnarowski. Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston conveys a similar sentiment, tweeting that Harden only wants to be dealt to the Nets.
With at least two years still left on Harden’s contract, the Rockets can afford to “slow-play the process,” according to Wojnarowski, who says the team’s preference is to work through the issues with its star guard. That looks like a challenge at this point, but there’s also no indication that Houston believes the Nets could deliver the massive return of assets the Rockets would be seeking for Harden, writes Woj.
1:46pm: Harden wants to be on a contender elsewhere, and the Nets and Sixers are believed to be atop his wish list, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Crucially, Charania notes that the Rockets are “fully comfortable” keeping both Harden and Westbrook into the season. Both players still have two fully guaranteed years left on their contracts, with pricey player options for 2022/23.
10:38am: Superstar guard James Harden wants to move on from the Rockets, according to Brian Smith of The Houston Chronicle, who says the former MVP is pushing for a trade to Brooklyn. ESPN first reported on Sunday that Harden was intrigued by the possibility of being traded to the Nets.
The dissatisfaction of the Rockets’ two star guards has apparently escalated within the last week. On Wednesday, we heard that Harden and Russell Westbrook had expressed concerns about the team’s direction and that the idea of them requesting trades had become a “plausible eventual possibility.” Less than 24 hours later, word broke that Westbrook was hoping to be dealt. Now it sounds as if Harden feels the same way.
ESPN’s report on Sunday indicated that Houston hasn’t engaged in any trade talks with the Nets. However, the team is evaluating its options moving forward, sources tell Chris Mannix of SI.com.
The Rockets have repeatedly stated that they’re intent on contending in 2020/21 and that their plan is to “run it back” with Harden, as ESPN reported on Sunday. Rather than blowing up their roster, their goal is to reignite their core players’ belief in their championship chances, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
As Feigen explains, Houston’s decision-makers have no interest in starting over by “tearing things down to restock shelves with draft picks and prospects.” Trading Harden would only make sense in a full-scale rebuild, and since they’ve already traded away a pair of future first-round picks and agreed to two other pick swaps, that’s not a particularly appealing option for the franchise.
The Rockets still believe they can bring in help this offseason to rebuild Harden’s confidence in their title chances, per Feigen. It’s unclear if trading Westbrook would be part of that plan — so far, new general manager Rafael Stone is in the “listening” and “exploring” stage on Westbrook, rather than the “shopping” stage, says Feigen. Houston would ideally want win-now pieces in a Westbrook deal, rather than future assets. For what it’s worth though, the Westbrook market is said to be “relatively barren,” per ESPN.
If the Rockets do become open to the idea of moving Harden, the Nets would be a fascinating trade partner. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would almost certainly be off-limits, but Brooklyn could theoretically put together a package headlined by some combination of Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jarrett Allen, and Taurean Prince, with draft picks and pick swaps also in play.
ESPN reported on Sunday that it’s unclear how far the Nets would be willing to go in an offer for Harden, who has had conversations with Durant about the possibility of teaming up. A move to Brooklyn would also reunite Harden with former head coach Mike D’Antoni, who is now an assistant on Steve Nash‘s staff.
Of course, even if Brooklyn is Harden’s preferred destination, he’s still under contract through at least 2022, limiting his leverage to push for a deal to a specific team. If the Rockets convey a willingness to listen to offers for the 31-year-old, more clubs would presumably get involved, including Daryl Morey‘s new team, the Sixers.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Probably for the best. He can take his solo act to another team and help them not win a championship.
Haha… so true
CrownRound pushpinBrandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson, M.A.
@ScoopB
James Harden has officially requested a trade.
Al gets credit he was on this early ^
Today Harden Officially in writing as per contract has officially requested a trade out of Houston. A trade resolution from all reports should be completed within 48 hours or less
Also for the past number of weeks James Harden has been training in LA with KD and Irving and the three are Implementing set plays that they would want to run on the same team
If not 48 hours, then what? I’ve never heard of such a provision.
Farbod Esnaashari
@Farbod_E
From what I was told, James Harden to the Nets was “practically a done deal.” It’s just a matter or ironing out the little details.
In order for Philly to get James Harden they would have to get give up draft picks and either Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons. I wonder which one they rather keep to get Harden.
Just take Ben josh rich and a bunch of picks and call it a day.
I wouldn’t give up either TBH. But for me, Ben is borderline untouchable. I probably wouldn’t give up Joel…So Tobias/Al/J Rich and some (undetermined) assets and I would talk. I like the idea of Harden giving us a big 3, but not really a big 2.
It takes BALLS to turn down $50 mil per year!
Going public is probably going to really cost Houston in what they can get in a trade now. Should have done what Paul George did with OKC and work on a trade that pretty much gets completed before the public knows.
Agree they should have moved faster, but not sure it hurts Harden’s value. He’s too good.
However, it sounds like Houston can’t read the writing on the wall here, so it may take a while to sort. Too bad Houston’s owner is so foolish…way easier to run it back when you keep either the coach or the GM. But getting rid of both? Fast track to rebuild.
Spot on!
Rockets are done. That escalated quickly!
Rockets were done regardless it was a bad GM and a poorly built roster.
For the playoffs anyway
KD Irving Harden in Brooklyn. And there is still word out that Serge Ibaka would join.Brooklyn would be like the BULLETCLUB! 4life
The salary cap says otherwise.
They could do the trade after free agency starts and they spend the mid-level, right?
Yeah that is how it could happen. Ibaka has made more than enough money to live 10 lifetimes. So he would have no problem taking less from the Nets if he thought a championship would come with it. Although I highly doubt a Durant, Harden, Irving trio would deliver a ring.
Well it would definitely get them to the conference finals for starters. It would be nets vs bucks in conference finals. Nobody else is even close. Have to see how the rosters shake out after all these trades but i would lean towards picking the Nets to win that matchup
Lavert
Dinwiddie
Allen
1st round pick
for Harden
Seems fair
No its not! How come PG13 costs SGA and 5 picks and Harden is twice as cheap?
Houston would be getting 3 very good players with a good chance at least one becomes a star. Plus PG13 got traded before anyone knew he wanted out.
Nah, would be at least 2/3 future firsts.
It is a different circumstance. OKC had perfect leverage in that trade. One of the biggest things was that George approached his team requesting a trade privately and it didn’t leak.
Also, the unique situation with Leonard and the Clippers desperation helped them too. The Clippers really wanted Leonard and he was going to go to the Lakers if the Clippers didn’t trade for George. OKC new this and the trade in a way, as has been described as well by many writers, was almost that the Clippers traded for both Leonard and George. They also knew they would never be the top LA team so this was their big opportunity they could not waste.
Trading for players isn’t like 2k or a trade machine and leverage is everything.
Point of order: We don’t know that Harden didn’t privately request a trade. Same goes for Westbrook.
This could be them escalating after making the request weeks ago.
That’s fair. My biggest point is that it is very important for stuff like this not to be leaked and they did escalate it then my point is it hurts their potential trade package and explains why Paul George can get traded for one haul and Harden can be traded for a lesser one.
To me that’s too much. Harden makes $40m now and will make $46m in a couple years. Acquiring him severely hampers any team’s ability to make future moves, especially a team with to max out vets already like the Nets. And Paul George plays defense and gets along with him teammates.
All indications recently are the George does not get along with his teammates.
I meant type “that George” but, given his ego, “the George” works as well.
That’s a garbage offer!! They need to get a young star back. I bet philly would toss in Simmons.
No…no we would not!
It’ll take at least 3 firsts + the Nets have 4 2nd round picks (Atlanta, Indiana, Phoenix, Toronto) in 2021. 2 of them will probably need to be included as well.
To me this screams multiple team deal. There’s going to be a ton of moving parts.
Harden to Brooklyn…
LeVert and Dinwiddie to PHI…
Simmons and Richardson to HOU…
and draft picks in there somewhere…
???
Why wouldn’t Phi not take Harden straight up?)))
Who in their right mind trades Simmons and Rich for LaVert and Dinwiddie?
Im just saying the nuys and bolts of a trade – I’m sure there’d be other parts… Jaret Allen, etc…
Not sure if you know that all this stuff is hypothetical anyway. Besides you, there probably aren’t any other actual nba gm’s on here commenting.
Sorry jump shot this is a terrible proposal.
But thats ok. I see proposals just as bad as mine in print, in on-line articles, from nba analysts, etc… that people are actually getting PAID to submit or “predict”.
Yours may be always be the best… I’m striving for your level!
Yeah Philly gets screwed in this deal big time. I agree NBA analysts are dumb too, but you have to think of these deals from every teams perspective.
No one lol
Houston could get quite a package from the nets. Some combination Dinwiddie, lavert, Allen, and draft picks could provide a more balanced lineup. Allen, Tucker, RoCo, lavert, and dinwiddie isn’t an elite starting five by any means, but they wouldn’t be a pushover either. And if they can convince the Knicks to take Westbrook for Knox and a pick, they would be on their way to a solid rebuild like the nets did just a few years ago
The rockets are nothing but a mess these days and it seemed to all start when they brought Carmelo Anthony in a few yrs back
“Hey Rob, it’s nice that you got me that guy who looks like Playoff Rondo …….. however, I also want Draymond, Ben and Trae here by Wednesday. Make it happen, otherwise I’m going back to Cleveland and I’m taking AD with me.”
– Lebron James
“Hey Rich, I just talked with Rob a few minutes ago. He’ll be calling you soon and will give you a few names. Same as before, this call never happened.”
– Lebron James
A Harden trade is a good way for Dinwiddie to get himself in a trade package to a starting job, but Westbrook and Rivers are still there, and Levert is coming too. Surely there were better choices.
A falling out with Irving, also a PG? I don’t get this trade.
Rivers opted out
And Westbrook wants out. I like Dinwiddie. He can start for someone.
Neither Westbrook nor Austin are going to be as desirable to other teams as GM Stone or the players might think.
But my assumption that Dins was behind this like with Irving is pretty presumptuous. The update says that Harden is also interested in the Sixers, which makes sense.
Now I suspect GM Stone’s presser in which he seemed to throw players under the bus!
Ha!!
Rockets need to save 5 million luxury tax
1 healthy young star
2 good players
2 Firsts
Salary dump 5 million or more
Do Nets even have salary space for Harden??
Harden for Levert, Allen, Harris (S&T), #19 and 2 future lottery protected firsts
Would be future unprotected picks at the very least.
Who the hell cares about future 1sts of a team that will likely be picking in the high 20’s?
That’s what people said the last time the Nets traded the future for aging veterans on bad contracts.
Just coming back from that move. Nets should hold out. Not many teams can trade for Harden.
The only person that said that was Billy King. It was panned from the beginning. Pierce and Garnett were well passed their primes. Harden still elite
Bad move for Brooklyn keep the old Nets
It would be interesting to see what the Rockets would get for Harden in a trade.
Bucks give: Middleton (an all star), Bledsoe (perennial All NBA Def team), DiVincenzo (a young starter with more room for growth) + 2 future first rounders.
Bucks get: Harden
This is better than what the nets can offer but picks in the 30s aren’t valuable. They’d need to rope in a third team
The only draft picks you are going to get for a star will appear to be in the 20s because the only teams looking to acquire stars are the teams actively trying to win. And your player will likely make those picks even worse because they will win more. The key thing for the Rockets (or any other team acquiring late 1st rounders) is to use them wisely or to package them to move up and get someone they prefer higher in the draft.
There will be no third team offering you their future for mediocre players that will keep them in the lottery without any picks. You might as well just get that out of your mind because it won’t happen. The only chance of getting lottery picks is to get picks WAY into the future when everything is unknown or to have the team acquiring your star be beset by injuries and/or poor performance.
Not enough. Playoff struggles aside the whole is not equal to the sum of its parts. If Middleton is your best player you’re not winning a championship.
This off-season just keeps getting better and better!
Whatever helps you sleep at night, buddy.
How am I wrong? This off-season has been crazy entertaining.
Can’t win with Harden as the No1. Better to trade him now for a boatload of young players and picks.
Can the Nets really swing a deal cap wise without trading Kyrie or Durant?
Yes, but it would take a lot. This works
Caris LeVert
Taurean Prince
Spencer Dinwiddie
Jarrett Allen
+picks (I have it at 20, 22, 24 unprotected 1sts + 2 of the 4 2021 2nds that the Nets have)
So it is doable. To be honest, I would do it if I were Houston. That package from the Nets might actually keep them in or near the playoffs depending on what happens with Russ. That is the majority of the Nets team that made the playoffs as the 7 seed without Durant. And there is still a lot of upside potential there. They could at least get the Rockets into a play-in situation in the West immediately.
Its like the denver/New York Carmelo trade back in the day. No elite stars going back to Denver but they were deep and good.
I agree. I was a huge fan of what Brooklyn had built with those guys + Russell and RHJ until they decided that they wanted to buy a championship instead of building one. Now if the Nets do win a championship, will it even be a Nets team or just the latest traveling free agent AAU show that wins while wearing Nets uniforms?
Don’t matter either way!
I think BRK fans would be delighted to win with either team, only difference is with the one you mentioned they would never, ever, ever, ever win… with the new one at least they have a shot at it, right?
To each their own, but I’d rather get as far as I could with MY team instead of cobbling together everyone else’s guys. At least if I was a fan of the team and not just the uniforms that’s how I would feel.
I hope that happens. Kyrie, KD and Harden on the floor at the same time would be hilarious. Two defenders to abuse and a crowd of guys who want to be the primary decision maker.
Harden will have to change his game, at least a little, if he changes teams. Maybe even if he stays, with a new HC. I would see that as a positive for him. People forget how great an all-around player he was prior to the last 4-5 years.
The Warriors should be in on this. I would offer that Giannis package for James Harden right now.
The amazing Andrew Wiggins, Plus two first-round picks (w’s #2 Wednesday and the Wolves pick next year,) Plus Looney or Chriss, and Eric paschall and Jordan Poole and anyone else you want outside of the core 3.
That is arguably a better package than the Nets. Of course it is more dependent on Wiggins reaching his potential and the draft picks working out. With the Nets, the ceiling is not as high, but Dinwiddie, LeVert, and Allen are more known quantities if the Rockets are looking to avoid a longer rebuild.
I guess it will just come down to what the Rockets owner prefers for his team next season and beyond.
I don’t think Harden would be a good fit for them next to Curry and Thompson.
What if you stagger the minutes ? Warriors need another ball-handler anyway. Another creator. And they’re all 30 plus years old. Nobody’s playing 38 minutes. I would absolutely love it. He’s 6-5 and an incredible basketball player.
The only thing that could get in the way would be egos. It’s easy to say that one of the three would be leading a second unit, but if you are MVP-level like Curry and Harden, are you willing to take the ego bruising of being a 6th man? Some players can do it, some can’t or won’t.
Nets May be the best deal out there for Rockets. But I don’t see a happy ending with Harden and Kyrie. As a Knicks fan. It should be a humorous and entertaining season though.
So the Rockets just BLOW it up. Hilarious lol
Or does this mean they rather build around Westbrook
Bucks and sixers can offer better and more.
Please enlighten us. Don’t just dog whistle.
Really not hard to see simmons or embiid better than anything mets could offer, in addition to picks. Bucks could offer middleton, divcenzo and picks both packages are infinitely better than Nets weak offer.
Why exactly would they move Embiid or Simmons. Both are off limits according to Sixers. According to me I would never do it for a scorer who doesn’t play D. Try getting philosophical or even interesting. You think cause Morey is there. He ran away from Harden. Harden is a ball stopper. So your take is moving Embiid or Simmons makes them better. Philly is like the worst place he could go.
Try again …… and this at least try and make a point
Again you don’t state any true facts, there’s been conflicting reports on who stays who goes. Again, what I mentioned is infinitely better than what’s being reported, anything else simpleton al?
Facts I just gave them to you. My facts. You throw out their best players. Who have never been discussed by anyone except scrubs like you. I’m telling you why Harden is not valued over Embiid or Simmons. I guess you’re just a fan boy. Some of us here know this gm backwards. I have forgotten more ball than you will ever blabber out. Simple is how your take is. Not even a trade you post. Just throw out two names like a baby spitting his food.
DiVin isn’t worth a 2nd rd pick. He even play in playoffs. Cause I didn’t even see him. Middleton that’s one guy that could work. What picks do Bucks have. And sure let’s bring in Harden so he can keep the ball away from Giannis the best player in the freakin game. Dude I get better from my 10 yr old. Even the Nets IMO shouldn’t trade for Harden. Cause IMO he’s a glorified 1way player. I gues you don’t understand that ball is a 2way sport. Dude you must be the lightest baller on this platform. I’m going teach you how to talk to ballers.
If you read. Then you should know there is some truth to Harden and Nets. Nothing has ever been factual about Harden to Sixers. Or Bucks, not even Mars has heard the Bucks mentioned. Only speculation by scrubs writers and fan boys. So for a Harden trade to ever happen. He would have to ok it. Bucks is a terrible place for him. Sixers is better place, but not with Embiid there. And neither can offer three young starters plus picks. Learn the game and try again. Don’t worry I’ll be around to remind you son. Teaching you is my new mission
Houston will have no choice but to build around RW. Fans want to trade their bad and keep their good, but other teams will offer more to the good. Rough start for their new GM and his ill-advised press conf.
Tats, the Sixers won’t offer their stars, and the Bucks don’t have more and what they have they need (except Bledsoe). The Nets players mentioned are good an also can be spared, a rare combination.
So you missed the mention of middleton which matches salaries and is a borderline all star? Selective listening here is apparent.
All these spare parts equal a team that misses playoffs. No one wants injury prone lavert and dinwiddle. This is a nets arm chair gm trade, again harden will go to highest bidder, just because harden wants to go to nets doesn’t mean it will happen.
Harden will go where he wants. And that’s what Rockets want. Cause it means they get best deal. No team is giving up players for a guy who doesn’t want to go there. A 42 mill a year guy. You must be 10 yrs old lol.
S**t gonna go south if he goes to the Nets. They already have a diva in Kyrie plus they won’t have a bench. If Rockets get Spencer, Levert and Allen, they’ll clearly be the winner of this trade. I’ll do it plus flip Westbrook for at least a decent starter and things won’t be as bad after all!
Tobias Harris, Josh Richardson, Matisse Thybulle, Glenn Robinson and 2 future first rounders for Harden and PJ Tucker makes sense.
That offer is light IMHO. Simmons has to be in the deal if Philly wants a shot at getting him.
And I’d bet Morey offers him up too.
100%…Simmons does not fit in the analytics that Morey will build around…he is as much of a goner as Harden and Westbrook.
I’m not sure if you know that but Morey doesn’t deploy how the team plays on the court. He’s not the HC. And I don’t think Doc Rivers took the job knowing full well that he’d have to coach to Morey’s data collection efforts.
Fr a Philly fan, yes it does make sense.
only makes sense if they can get simmons otherwise f**k it run it back
Daryl Morey and the Sixers will be the team that trades for Harden. Ben Simmons would be the centerpiece going to Houston. It gives the Rockets a young rising star in return for their best player. That is better than anything Brooklyn is giving.
Considering the ridiculous amount the Suns gave up for Chris Paul, it will take a Herschel Walker type of offer from the Nets or Sixers.
Doubtful
Your giving your front office WAAAY too much credit.
Suns gave up expiring contracts. Two players they were gonna let walk. Suns basically gave a future pick. Not a haul lol. Your hate for Chris is amusing bro.
Which is comical because Chris Paul gave the Rockets their best chance to win a championship before he got injured and Harden simply failed at that point.
Your about to add former rocketS and league mvps to your handle
There’s a really obvious deal here that no one seems to be talking about. Send Ben Simmons to Golden State, send Wiggins and the #2 to Houston, and send Harden to Philly. Golden State and Philly both kick in and extra first, or maybe two extra firsts, and all three teams get good value.
One of these players is not like the others
Yeah, Simmons sucks. :)
Anything but dude, Simmons is a superstar, as simple as!
Obviously you didn’t get the sarcasm that the smiley face implied.
Nope I didn’t! Sorry I ain’t very good, at all, at picking sarcasm, my bad! Good one now that I get it!
I’d rather have James Harden than Ben Simmons.
HOU would never, wiggins does not have as much trade value as people seem.
HOU would never, wiggins does not have as much trade value as people think.
Big mistake speaking out by Harden….this will cost the Rockets a couple a 1st’s for sure.
But the funniest part is a guy that thinks he is the best player…just gave up on a team that was built for him…everything went his way…and now just like the guy that made the mess they’ll just walk away.
As a Spurs fan that had to live through ’95 I can never like the Rockets…but I actually feel sorry for Rockets fans…what a bleeping mess.
Thanks, but we’ll be alright. I still think the future is bright for the Rockets. I’m excited to see how Silas operates and it’s looking like we will have a much younger team next year. Players like that typically are more susceptible to buying into a process than established vets.
Of both the teams the best player likely available is Ben Simmons.
Not only was he on the all nba teams, all defensive teams but he’s also only 24. He gives you 18-8-6 regularly with good defence and with the right team he could be giving you 24-10-8.
And if I’m the Sixers you think who’s more likely to win you a championship Simmons and Embiid or Harden and Embiid. That’s a no brainer. Harden is a bucket, easily a top 10 player and arguably top 5. Embiid although he could do better puts up Anthony Davis numbers but you know he can give you a little bit more. You’d be pairing the best offensive player in the league with potentially the best big man.
Cmon Sixers you have 3 second round picks this year, and basically all your other picks.
I reckon Ben Simmons, Al Horford, Josh Richardson, 2 first and 2 seconds for James Harden and Eric Gordon.
1. James Harden
2. Eric Gordon
3. Mattise Thybulle
4. Tobias Harris
5. Joel Embiid
Plus then make some moves in FA and in the draft you could end up couple rings in the next few seasons.
Then Rockets have
1. Simmons. Rivers
2. Richardson
3. Covington. House
4. Tucker
5. Horford
Plus trade Russ away and with the extra picks you still have a very solid team.
I think that the signs are increasing that the next CBA is going to find some way to shift veterans to longer contracts with lower numbers. Trades are happening anyway (which was what these Supermax contracts were supposed to stop) and the league as a whole is getting more unbalanced and less competitive. LeBron really kind of screwed the league with his Miami move, now every young player is conspiring with others to undermine the draft system.
For this very reason I believe the Sixers will not make a play for Harden. I believe what Harris is currently getting paid is the high bar salary for this team.
Josh Harris doesn’t throw money around just for the sake of throwing money around.
Then he shouldn’t own an NBA team. That is the very definition of being an NBA owner.
I agree. I’m really tired of these cheap governors spending all this money on teams and then not paying the money to win. It’s ridiculous. It’s an extreme example, but it’s like going to a restaurant and then not tipping because you “can’t afford it”. Don’t eat out then? Same goes for owning a team. If you can afford the team but can’t afford to keep it running properly, for the sake of the fans just please stay away.
As a Rockets fan I am definitely concerned about our new governor who was supposedly a fan prior to buying the team. Doesn’t look like it. I’ve always sort of had the opinion – which I am sure most people will tell me is ridiculous and extreme and I’m an idiot (and hey I probably am) – that if a governor loses over a certain length of time they should be forced to sell the team. I bet that’d get them emptying their pockets. Maybe at least face fines or something. I’m talking over a very prolonged length of time, but still.
trade his keister to the kings
Harden makes 41 mill. So >>
Dinwiddie 11.5 mill, LeVert 16 mill, Allen 4 mill, Prince 12 mill.
What 2 future picks.
IMO Dinwiddie, Allen, LeVert are all solid players. And could be starters, are starters on Rockets team. Getting picks they can flip Dinwiddie. Build around LeVert and Allen. Plus moving Westbrook for young talent. They can just start the rebuild now. They will have cap space and picks. A far better outlook. Than what they have now. I’m not a Harden fan. I don’t see a better offer coming. Harden is not for everyone. I don’t see him fitting with Kyrie. KD is the one who must be pushing this deal. I’ll believe it when I see it. Harden is a one way player. KD and Kyrie are not big D guys either. So I would never do this.
76ers with Doc Rivers and company would be terrific.
The Rockets are a mess. This is nothing new.
Amazing how demanding Harden is. Don’t sign contracts with teams you don’t want to commit to.
That’s a silly way to look at things.
First of all, things change over time. Harden is entitled to change his opinion of the team, just like the team is entitled to change the roster, the front office, and the coaching staff.
Second, the contract allows for trades, and heavily favors the team over the player in that regard. If Houston decides to trade Harden, they’ll get a lot of value for the remainder of his contract.
Three, if Fertitta was mad enough, he could send Harden home, refuse to play him OR trade him, and Harden would just have to deal. If Houston wants to “send a message” that way, they could. But I doubt it would do them much good.
The question you should be asking yourself here is why you’re so willing to take the team’s side, when the team has all the rights?
Ownership cant send him home and not pay him.
Right. I said play, not pay.
Amazed that Harden turned down the max contract in order to get out of town. Talk about determination!
Harden has big deal with Adidas. I believe it’s 20 mill a yr. Plus other endorsements. He can afford to do this. Guy is pushing 32. I’m sure he wants a shot at a ring before it’s all over. The Nets and NYC is great way to go for it. Let’s face it lols.
NBA is now the NDA… National Drama Association
Rockets owner “CP3 had the worst contract I had ever seen in sports. Also Rockets owner “Hey James, I will pay you 50 million a season at age 35”
That Chris Paul contract was so bad, OKC managed to flip it for a 1st rounder with 2 years left.
Just goes to show how bad of an owner Fertitta is, and how clueless a lot of fans are.
James harden is a loser.. he recruited Dwight Howard to rockets and that didn’t work so he pushed him out.. then he recruited Chris Paul and didn’t like Paul holding him accountable to pushed Paul out.. then Westbrook and now Westbrook wants out.. maybe he needs to look in the mirror.. he honestly think it’s gonna work with durant and Irving.. durant left gsw because green wouldn’t pass him the ball and green let durant know they won without him.. hurting his feelings.
You forgot pushing McHale out. Then DAntoni ran. Then Morey ran. Now he wants to run. It’s comical lol.
Forgot about Mchale.. while we are at it, He even pushed old owner to sell team..straight sad.. his play won’t win a ring..
Send Harden to the Cavs for Drummond and the #5 pick, take Hayes or Vassell.
If Harden doesn’t want to go, tell him to retire and get a job at Trader Joe’s.
I want to hear from Rocket fans. Now that both your stars want to leave. What do you want Rockets to do with them. And what direction do you want your team to go.
How bad can the situation be that you would turn down over $50 million dollars a year? It will be hard to recognize the Houston Rockets without James Harden if a trade does go through.
PS- I love my Trader Joe’s, and drive by Russell Westbrook’s car dealership right off the 22 freeway-
The reason their team sucks is because they’re overpaying harden and Westbrook. Giving harden more money to stay is burning the money and the teams future.
Oh yeah Houston has no future as they traded all their picks for Westbrook. So soon they’ll suck and OKC will reap the rewards of the bad picks. This could become the Herschel Walker trade of the nba.
Houston just got back two first rounders for Covington. They will likely get at least 3 more for Harden and will probably get one or two for Westbrook. I mean if Jrue Holiday is worth 3 firsts and 2 swaps, Harden and Westbrook should be worth 10 total at least.
Harden for Turner & Oladipo or Harden for Simmons & Horford and picks.