The Houston Rockets have a big problem in their hands and he goes by the name of James Harden. Most know the story, especially the part where the 2018 NBA MVP wants to be traded. And if first-year coach Stephen Silas and team owner Tillman Fertita know what is good for them, they need to find a trade partner fast.
The Rockets continue to stubbornly claim that they can manage and keep Harden despite the trade demands. But if the word out is true that the eight-time All-Star is having heated exchanges with his teammates is true, such may end up disastrous for their 2020-21 season aspirations.
Sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic that all has not been going well during Rockets’ practice. The 31-year-old has had verbal exchanges with several players. But the one that was allegedly most heated was the one involving rookie Jae’Sean Tate.
James Harden was asked if he feels better about his situation with the Rockets now than he did before he arrived at camp.
"Next question." pic.twitter.com/gm2zz7i199 — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 21, 2020
Known to be quiet and laid-back, things got heated between the two at some point. Harden ended up throwing the ball towards the direction of Tate. Fortunately, it did not hit the 25-year-old who went undrafted in 2018. He is technically a rookie since he will be playing his first year in the NBA with Houston.
The writing is on the wall that Harden seriously wants out. He reported late for camp and was spotted partying instead in Las Vegas. He was visibly out of shape during the Rockets preseason game, sequences that hint he wants a trade to happen.
As most teams would do, the incident is likely to be downplayed. The same reasoning of players being competitive is expected to be mentioned although not all will buy it.
The Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors have been added to the list of potential landing spots for Harden. Jaylen Brown and Pascal Siakam are said to be the ones anchoring the trade but nothing has progressed. These were similar presumptions to that of the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers.
Of those teams, only the Miami Heat has allegedly begged off for now. Like most NBA teams, Miami is focusing on the start of the 2020 NBA season. Jimmy Butler went on record that James Harden trade talk has not affected the team in any way.
Sadly the same cannot be said for Houston heading into the season. They face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 23 with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m. E.T. Harden may play but his performance will be closely monitored by all.
