- New Rockets center DeMarcus Cousins is enjoying training camp with his new team, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Cousins signed a non-guaranteed, one-year veteran’s minimum deal with Houston after missing all of his 2019/20 season for the eventual champion Lakers with a torn ACL.
NBA players, coaches, and team personnel aren’t the only ones dealing with the league’s new coronavirus protocols this season. As Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes, referees will be tested daily and will have to comply with new league rules related to indoor gatherings.
The NBA is also looking to reduce referees’ travel, Reynolds adds. While the league usually makes an effort to avoid having the same referee(s) work a particular team’s games more than once every few weeks, that may not be the case in 2020/21.
“Obviously, we won’t be able to eliminate all travel,” NBA VP Monty McCutchen said. “As much as we would like to, that won’t be possible. But just like the league took into consideration many scheduling issues for the teams to significantly reduce travel, we’re going to look at as many possibilities on a one-year basis to reduce travel so we can effectively serve the game while still living in this pandemic.”
Here are a few more updates related to COVID-19:
- The league office is working on establishing a policy for the use of coronavirus vaccines around the NBA, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, who says the league wants to make sure its players are educated about vaccine choices, possible side effects, and efficacy. Timing will also be an important issue — the league is also wary of the perception of “jumping the line” ahead of higher-risk segments of the population, and recognizes that competitive balance concerns could arise if certain teams and players are vaccinated before others.
- In an interesting story for Yahoo Sports, Vincent Goodwill takes a look at how coaches around the NBA are preparing to work around the coronavirus this season and how they’ll try to ensure their players are all following the league’s protocols. “You try to put the fear of God into them,” one coach told Goodwill.
- Newly-added Rockets wing Sterling Brown had yet to practice with the team as of Wednesday due to COVID-19 protocols, head coach Stephen Silas said (Twitter link via Tim MacMahon of ESPN). Due to the delay, I wouldn’t expect Brown to be ready to go when Houston tips off its preseason schedule on Friday night.
- Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, who says the Heat are expected to at least kick the tires on the possibility of a James Harden trade, examines what the team’s best possible offer for the Rockets star might look like. Removing the protections on the 2023 first-round pick previously sent to Oklahoma City would be important, Jackson notes, since it would allow Miami to move its ’25 and ’27 first-rounders without violating the Stepien rule.
James Harden now has the Bucks and Heat among his preferred trade destinations, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. Milwaukee and Miami join Brooklyn and Philadelphia as the top landing spots on Harden’s wish list.
As we observed on Tuesday when we wrote about Harden adding the Sixers to his list of preferred destinations, the Rockets are under no obligation to send the former MVP to one of the teams on his list, since he has multiple years left on his contract and doesn’t have the ability to veto trades. However, it’s possible those clubs would be more willing to offer significant packages for Harden if they know he wants to play for them.
Neither Milwaukee nor Miami looks like an ideal trade partner for Houston, however, given the Rockets’ asking price of an All-Star caliber player plus several young players and/or draft picks. Both the Bucks and Heat have traded away multiple future first-round picks and/or pick swaps, compromising their ability to build an offer heavy on draft assets.
As for potential centerpieces, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo would presumably be off the table in any deal with Miami, while Milwaukee obviously isn’t moving Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks have other former All-Stars in Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, but neither is on a particularly team-friendly contract — Middleton is owed $147MM over four years, while Holiday can reach free agency in 2021. Tyler Herro would be an intriguing target in any deal with the Heat, but has only played one season, so the Rockets would have to be awfully high on his potential to accept a package built around him.
The Nets and 76ers are still atop Harden’s wish list, according to Charania, who says the 31-year-old has been “resigned to the belief” that he can no longer compete for a championship in Houston.
However, Charania hears that the Rockets have no interest in a Brooklyn offer that doesn’t include Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving. A Sixers offer would likely have to include Ben Simmons, but new head coach Doc Rivers has “privately made clear” that he wants an opportunity to try to maximize the potential of the Simmons/Joel Embiid duo, Charania writes.
General manager Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia front office, having added sharpshooters Seth Curry and Danny Green to complement Simmons and Embiid, appear committed to keeping their two young stars for the time being.
Harden is currently going through the NBA’s coronavirus testing process and will have to register six negative tests before he’s cleared to practice with the Rockets. According to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, Harden only requires three negative tests to begin individual workouts, and Charania suggests the superstar guard is expected to have a workout in front of team personnel soon.
According to Charania, Harden has “maintained a dialogue” with trusted Rockets assistant coach John Lucas, even as he has been non-communicative at times with the club’s front office.
Rockets star James Harden will be required to register negative coronavirus tests for six consecutive days before receiving clearance to join the team for group workouts, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter links).
As MacMahon explains in an ESPN story, the NBA required three consecutive negative tests from most players before they were permitted to enter team facilities for individual workouts. However, Harden arrived in Houston late and violated league policies by attending parties and clubs in Atlanta and Las Vegas without wearing a face mask, subjecting him to a longer testing period.
The timeline should put Harden on track to join his teammates for practice on Monday, assuming he doesn’t test positive for COVID-19 during the next few days. Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle notes (via Twitter) that Harden wasn’t going to fly to Chicago for the Rockets’ preseason games against the Bulls on Friday and Sunday anyway, so this shouldn’t actually delay his practice debut.
Asked today about Harden’s status, Rockets head coach Stephen Silas said he had the opportunity to say hello to the former MVP on Wednesday, per MacMahon. Silas likely won’t get a chance for a longer face-to-face interaction until Harden clears the testing process.
Interestingly, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reported today that Harden made his offseason trade request as soon as Houston hired Silas as its new head coach.
While that doesn’t necessarily mean that Harden sought a trade as a direct response to Silas’ hiring, Zillgitt says the former Mavericks assistant wasn’t among the 31-year-old’s top choices when management asked for his input on the coaching search. Harden preferred Tyronn Lue, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
We learned on Tuesday that Harden has indicated to the Rockets that he’s open to being dealt to teams besides Brooklyn, including the Sixers.
Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta remains hopeful that James Harden will win a championship with his team, he said in a CNBC interview (video link via Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston).
“James Harden, I have all the respect in the world for,” Fertitta said. “James Harden wants to win a ring during his period as a basketball player. … Hopefully, he’ll do it with the Houston Rockets.”
We have more the Harden drama:
- Harden is reportedly open to trade to another team besides his preferred destination, the Nets, with the Sixers among that group. A group of writers for The Athletic speculated on potential off-the-radar destinations and named the Clippers (with Paul George as part of the return package), Timberwolves (D’Angelo Russell) and Pelicans (Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball) as potential fits.
- Prior to Klay Thompson suffering a season-ending torn right Achilles’ tendon, the Warriors were among the teams who discussed the possibility of pursuing Harden, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. They mulled whether Harden could slide into Kevin Durant‘s former role but ultimately realized that the short-term gain wasn’t worth the long-term issues it would create, Poole continues. The Warriors felt Harden would be a poor fit in a culture that demands accountability and schemes that require collaboration, Poole adds.
- Coach Stephen Silas is relieved that Harden has arrived in Houston, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. “We’re doing this day by day,” Silas said. “And just to have him in the building is good. Obviously, it wasn’t a good start to it. But that’s the NBA. The NBA isn’t going to be roses every day and there’s going to be issues and there’s going to be things that you’re going to have to work through as a group. That’s what we’re going to do. Him being here shows a level of commitment to what we have going.”
Nearly three weeks after first agreeing to terms, the Sixers were finally able to complete their six-player trade with the Thunder today, acquiring Danny Green, Terrance Ferguson, and Vincent Poirier in the deal.
According to Derek Bodner of The Athletic (Twitter link), one minor aspect of the deal was previously unreported, as the 76ers sent $2MM in cash to Oklahoma City to complete the move. That amount will count toward the $5.617MM limit that Philadelphia can sent out in trades over the course of the 2020/21 league year.
Here’s more out of Philadelphia:
- Tyrese Maxey and Mike Scott received clearance to participate in non-contact drills today and are expected to join the team’s group workouts on Wednesday, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Maxey and Scott had to clear the NBA’s coronavirus protocols after registering positive tests.
- Addressing the James Harden trade rumors connecting the Sixers to the Rockets star, head coach Doc Rivers said he’s making it clear to his players that those rumors aren’t coming from Philadelphia’s side (Twitter link via Pompey). “You know, as long as you don’t hear them from us, you should be very comfortable,” Rivers said. “We like our team, man. I tell you, that team I just watched out there (at practice) is really special.”
- Rivers’ comments were in response to a report that said Harden has indicated to Houston that he’d be open to a trade to Philadelphia. In an Insider-only story, ESPN’s Bobby Marks explores which teams could realistically make a play for Harden, noting that any 76ers offer would almost certainly have to start with Ben Simmons.
After not reporting to the Rockets for individual workouts or for the start of training camp, star guard James Harden has arrived back in Houston, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
According to Wojnarowski, Harden received a coronavirus test today in accordance with the NBA’s protocol, the first step toward him being cleared to join the team for group workouts. He underwent his test at the Rockets’ Toyota Center, a league source tells ESPN (Twitter link).
Harden’s arrival in Houston doesn’t mean the issues between him and the Rockets have been ironed out. A report earlier today indicated that the 31-year-old has expanded his list of preferred trade destinations beyond just Brooklyn, which suggests he’d still prefer to be dealt.
However, the fact that Harden is apparently no longer AWOL is a step in the right direction for the Rockets, who have reportedly been adamant that they won’t be rushed into trading the former MVP.
Even if they eventually have to move Harden, the Rockets will have more leverage to demand a substantial package in return for the superstar if he’s with the team and performing at his usual level, rather than holding out in an effort to force Houston’s hand.
Prior to the start of training camp, James Harden indicated to the Rockets that he’d be open to a trade to the Sixers or possibly another contending team, sources tell Tim MacMahon and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Most previous reports suggested that Harden was singularly focused on being dealt to the Nets, though Shams Charania of The Athletic has reported that Philadelphia was also believed to be near the top of his wish list. The 76ers’ front office is, of course, being run by former Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.
According to MacMahon and Wojnarowski, once it became clear there was no traction in talks between Houston and the Nets, Harden expressed to the Rockets that he’d be open to a move to Philadelphia. The eight-time All-Star also signaled that there may be other teams that fit his criteria, sources tell ESPN. Harden is said to be seeking a home where he can realistically contend for a championship.
Of course, Harden still has two years remaining on his contract, plus a player option for 2022/23, and he doesn’t have the ability to veto a deal, so the Rockets are free to move him to any team. Still, ESPN’s duo notes that few teams have the pieces necessary to meet Houston’s current asking price — plus, clubs will be reluctant to give up a massive trade package for Harden if they’re not confident that he’ll be willing to stick around beyond 2022.
The Rockets haven’t adjusted their reported asking price for Harden, per MacMahon and Wojnarowski. That asking price is believed to include a young All-Star caliber player, plus several first-round picks and/or promising players on rookie contracts, sources tell ESPN.
The Sixers are one of the few teams that have the kind of young player who could appeal to Houston as the centerpiece of a package — Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have each made All-NBA teams and haven’t meshed perfectly in recent years. However, Morey has said he has no plans to break up that duo, and the 76ers and Rockets haven’t had any substantive talks about a Harden deal, sources tell MacMahon and Woj.
As of Monday, Harden had yet to report to the Rockets for training camp. We recapped the latest updates on his situation in a story earlier today.
Around the time that Mike D’Antoni and Daryl Morey departed the Rockets this fall, James Harden approached team management and ownership with a mandate to either build a championship team around him or trade him somewhere where he could win a ring, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic.
As Iko observes, this isn’t the first time that Harden has approached the Rockets with that sort of mandate. Sources tell The Athletic that the former MVP told the front office the same thing last year, which ultimately led to the Chris Paul/Russell Westbrook trade. That aligns with a 2019 report which suggested that Harden issued a “him or me” ultimatum to the club regarding Paul.
While it remains to be seen how the Harden situation will play out this time around, the fact that the Rockets were able to navigate a similar quagmire in 2019 helps explain why the team has confidence that it can once again sell the superstar guard on the outlook in Houston.
For more on the Harden situation, check out our roundup from earlier this morning. Here are a few more items from around the Southwest:
- Spurs forward Trey Lyles is entering a contract year and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2021, but he can envision himself in San Antonio beyond this season, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). “I am very comfortable here,” Lyles said. “It is the perfect situation for me, perfect situation for the player I am, the player I see myself being and becoming. I would love to be able to stay here long term.”
- The Texas Legends – the Mavericks‘ G League affiliate – are among the teams expected to opt out of the proposed G League bubble in Atlanta, sources tell JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link).
- The Mavericks targeted James Johnson this offseason in large part because of his toughness, but he feels as if he can bring more than that to the team, as Dwain Price of Mavs.com writes. “I know what I can bring, I understand why they brought me here,” Johnson said. “I feel it was more than just the toughness and the black belt, but I’m able to play whatever role that’s thrown my way.”
- The trade kicker on Brandon Ingram‘s new five-year contract with the Pelicans is the maximum allowable 15%, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.