James Harden will finish the season on the Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have given Harden virtually everything he’s ever asked for since his arrival in 2012, including trading for Chris Paul and then trading Paul for Westbrook, but his most recent request is not something they’re inclined to honor.
Harden is a three-time scoring champion, an eight-time All-Star, former MVP, and a top-five player. He is under contract through the 2022-23 season with a $46.87 million player option for the final season.
Trading Westbrook for Wall was is a risky move given Wall’s injury history, but one that the franchise hopes will ultimately convince Harden to change his mind about leaving. There were rumors that Harden prefers Wall over Westbrook, but Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN recently reported the trade had made no difference in how he feels.
"“The arrival of John Wall has left All-NBA guard James Harden unmoved and uninterested in pursuing a new partnership, and the franchise star continues to put the Houston Rockets for a trade”"
Harden says he wants to go to a title contender and recently expanded is his trade wish list, adding the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat to a list that already included the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers. While Houston’s preference is to keep Harden in a Rockets jersey for the duration of his career, they are willing to honor his request, but the asking price is exceptionally high and rightfully so.
The Rockets reportedly want a young star in addition to multiple first-round draft picks and/or players still playing under rookie contracts, in exchange for the three-time scoring champ and former MVP.
Harden is definitely worth the asking price, but not many teams have the assets to pull off such a move, and the ones that do are hesitant to pay such a hefty price tag for what could potentially be just a rental. Without a long-term commitment from Harden, it will be difficult for the Rockets to convince a team to break the bank for him.
At the moment, the Rockets hold all the cards. Houston should do everything in its power to change Harden’s mind, but they also have to be wary that the clock is ticking. There’s no need to rush to get a trade done given his contract situation. Still, if they wait too long, they will lose what little leverage they have with other teams.
Given his importance to the franchise combined with the astronomical yet respectable price tag, this writer expects Harden to still be in a Rockets uniform when the trade deadline passes.