James Harden’s divorce with the Houston Rockets appears to be closer than ever. The All-Star shooting guard has been linked with a move away from Houston since the offseason started and rumors within the league suggest that possibility is about to become a reality.
The Rockets were eliminated by the 2020 NBA champions Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the playoffs after their small-ball lineup experiment didn’t work for them and now Harden wants out. He reportedly believes his window to win the NBA championship with the Rockets is closed and now he wants to try his luck with a new team. The Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers are the favorites to get the player but nothing is certain now.
However, according to ESPN analyst Amin Elhassan, Harden’s tenure with the Rockets is nearing its end.
“I’ve heard similar things. I’ve honestly heard similar things about Harden specifically. Not perhaps being a Houston Rocket for much longer,” Elhassan said on a recent appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, as quoted by Anthony Duckett of Fansided’s Space City Scoop. “I think Houston has an opportunity, at least on the Harden side of things, to get tremendous value back. This is a guy who’s been top five in MVP voting for five consecutive years pretty much. You’re going to get value for him. If you don’t, your front office might be on the chopping block.”
Harden has been linked with a reunion with either former teammate Kevin Durant in Brooklyn or former Rockets GM in Philadelphia, but the team’s high demands aren’t making things easy for the player and his suitors. We are still a month away from the start of the league and this won’t be the last time we hear about this saga.
