James Harden and the Houston Rockets hadn't been on the same page since the ending of the 2019-20 season. As such, that led to the foreseen departure of Harden from Houston on Wednesday, as the Rockets reportedly agreed to a mega trade with the Brooklyn Nets.
Seeing as how the entire NBA knew that a trade for Harden was imminent on Wednesday, the Rockets' Twitter account decided to send a subliminal shot at Harden as they engaged in practice:
https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1349508426750111745
No one in the Rockets' locker room was necessarily blaming Harden for wanting out of a situation that had boiled over long before most of them arrived in Houston. Still, Harden made all of his teammates a part of the problem on Tuesday night during a postgame conference following a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
"I love this city. I've literally done everything I can. This situation is crazy. It’s something I don’t think can be fixed. Thanks."
—James Harden on the Rockets pic.twitter.com/LcPLn09TgE
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 13, 2021
His blunt comments drew some likewise responses from teammates John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, both of whom felt that Harden's work ethic wasn't up to par for him to offer up some picky words about his current team's state. Given his harsh take of the Rockets as they're currently constructed, the writing was on the wall that the former MVP wouldn't be with Houston for much longer.
The Rockets took back a slew of draft rights and swaps from the Nets while grabbing Victor Oladipo from the Indiana Pacers to pair with Wall. In doing so, the front office was able to keep their playoff status alive while also stockpiling some respectable draft picks for the foreseeable future.
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