The trade talks involving James Harden are still ongoing as the Houston Rockets look to carve out a new direction for the franchise. Even though not much progress has been made on a trade, ESPN's Brian Windhorst says there are five Eastern Conference teams that have made a “courtesy call” on Harden.
When Harden originally requested a trade from the Rockets, the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers were seen as the most likely landing spots. There were even rumors that a deal with the Nets was essentially agreed upon. Both the Sixers and Nets have contacted Houston about Harden, but they have yet to compile a trade package that entices the Rockets.
Besides the Nets and Sixers, the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and Miami Heat have all touched base with the Rockets about Harden. However, with it being early in the season, teams are hesitant to mortgage their roster to acquire the disgruntled shooting guard.
With that being said, none of the teams in the Eastern Conference look to be light years ahead of the other teams in the conference. As a result, one of the teams could look to pull the trigger for Harden, giving them a superstar that could put them above the rest of the teams in the conference.
According to Windhorst, the Milwaukee Bucks also internally discussed the possibility of making a move for Harden. But after running the idea by Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks chose not to get involved in the Harden sweepstakes. This echoes previous reporting suggesting Milwaukee isn't interested in a culture overhaul with Harden coming aboard.
While Harden continues to prove that he's one of the league's best offensive players, it's only a matter of time before he's dealt to a new team. Still, it only makes sense for the Rockets to hold out until they can get the best package possible.
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