The Houston Rockets are not pressing the panic button just yet following reports that their superstar James Harden has requested to be traded elsewhere. The growing public consensus is that The Beard will somehow join Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving with the Brooklyn Nets or re-unite with Daryl Morey with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Rockets brass, however, is not looking at the possible returns they could get for Harden and seeks to repair that relationship to entice him to stay, per the New York Times' Marc Stein.
The Rockets, at this juncture, remain intent on keeping James Harden and trying to rebuild the team's relationship with him despite reports of Harden's growing discontent, league sources say
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 17, 2020
There's been trouble brewing in H-Town shortly after their collapse in the second round of the 2019 playoffs. The postseason disappointment led to the exodus of ex-head coach Mike D'Antoni and former general manager Daryl Morey. Harden's backcourt mate Russell Westbrook earlier expressed his desire to be moved before the 2020-20 campaign. Harden made the same request not long after that and rumors began swirling left and right as to where the one-time MVP will go.
The plot thickened further when Harden turned down an extension from the Rockets and an opportunity to become the first NBA player worth $50 million a year.
Houston, meanwhile, is making the wise move in terms of handling their best player's supposed growing displeasure. Gauging his value in the market would only poke the bear even more, so taking the high road is indeed the right call to make. Plus, it doesn't make sense for the Rockets to give him up without a fight, considering they gave him a massive $171 million deal just last year. Harden will have a player option by the end of the 2022-23 campaign, giving Houston a lot of time to mend those fences.
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