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It appears the James Harden era in Houston is falling out of the Rockets’ grasp.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, James Harden wants to be on a contender elsewhere, potentially in either Brooklyn or Philadelphia.
Rockets star James Harden wants to be on a contender elsewhere, and Brooklyn and Philadelphia are believed to be his top desired trade destinations, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 16, 2020
Houston is fully comfortable keeping Harden and Russell Westbrook into the season.
The tweet from Shams comes days after he reported Harden was “locked in” with the Rockets for the season. It appears things have changed quickly in the recent days.
However, there is a chance that this has stayed under wraps for a while as Kelly Iko of The Athletic reports that the idea of Harden to Philadelphia has blossomed since Morey officially became the 76ers’ president of basketball operations.
Another potential suitor for Harden is the Nets. In Brooklyn, a trade for Harden would reunite him with former teammate Kevin Durant and his former coach Mike D’Antoni, who is an assistant for rookie head coach Steve Nash.
However, the Rockets, who have Harden and fellow co-star Russell Westbrook under contract for the next two seasons, are prepared to keep the pair on the roster if the trade packages for the former MVP’s doesn’t meet their demands.
The Dream Shake will continue to update this developing story.