The Houston Rockets have addressed one issue after trading Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards. In return, they took in another good friend of the 2018 NBA MVP in John Wall. Like Westbrook, Wall sought a trade after the Wizards claimed they wanted to rebuild around Bradley Beal.
Now, the Rockets need to address an even bigger problem. Based on last reports, Harden still wanted out of Houston with Brooklyn allegedly his preferred destination. However, a new twist may have entered that claim with Kevin Durant alleging he never talked to Harden and invited him to join the Nets. The two-time NBA champion branded these stories are made up and admit he has heard of them.
Hence, there is a chance that Harden may make a U-turn and sign that lucrative contract that the Rockets offered him before trade rumors surfaced. Had he agreed to that before, Harden would have become the first NBA player to earn $50 million per season. It remains to be seen if that same offer is still on the table.
Regardless, the Rockets are giving Harden the necessary space to make a decision. New head coach Stephen Silas believes the eight-time All-Star will eventually make a final decision and he is confident that Harden will be around at camp, the Associated Press reported.
“I’m confident that he will be all in,” Silas said. “That’s where I’m leaving it. As I said, I’ve given him the space to to do his thing. But I’m confident he’ll be here when we get started.”
Kevin Durant says rumors about him talking to James Harden about playing with the Nets are "made up" and its up to the front-office to make moves. — Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) December 1, 2020
Silas admits that it was a bit odd that he would have Wall instead of Westbrook at his disposal. He credits the latter as the reason why he got the Houston head coaching post.
“If it weren’t for Russell Westbrook, I probably wouldn’t have this job,” Silas said. “So the fact that he vouched for me in the interview process was one of the first things that I thought of when the trade was made.”
Looking beyond the Harden decision, the Wall addition also saw the much-awaited reunion between DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall. Both were college teammates at Kentucky and have known each other since Wall was 14.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” Cousins said. “It’s something me and him planned and dreamed about for a long time. So I’m pretty sure he’s just grateful for his moment as I am.”
