James Harden’s reps gauged interest in other team before trade to Cavs

Before the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for celebrity guard James Harden, there was reportedly one other team that his representatives inquired about searching for a take care of: the Houston Rockets.

According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahonHarden’s team reached out to Houston to gauge their interest in buying the previous MVP from the then-reeling Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers, who began 6-21, have been in the midst of a number of crises and the topic of many trade rumors to strive to proper the ship. There had been mutual interest in each Harden’s camp and the Rockets’ over the previous a number of years, in accordance to ESPN.

But the Rockets, having moved away from that heliocentric sort of participant, weren’t in including. One supply informed ESPN that, whereas it might be intriguing to have as nice a participant as Harden on the younger Rockets team, they needed to develop gamers like Reed Sheppard, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson as an alternative. This was not the primary time that Houston had spurned the possibility to purchase Harden, having executed so twice before.

Another supply informed ESPN that the Rockets “weren’t going to put the ball in James’ hands anyway,” and questioned the necessity to trade for somebody that requires the rock to be impactful. All this even supposing Houston was with out their place to begin guard, Fred Van Vleet, who suffered a torn ACL before the season began.

As historical past would inform it, the Cavs swooped in and purchased Harden for Darius Garland and a second-round choose. The transfer, which garnered loads of criticism and raised eyebrows throughout the league, was the form of danger that the Rockets weren’t keen to take. But for the Cavs, it was price it to increase their championship window for the following yr or two only a smidge wider.

Part of the wink and nudge of the take care of the Clippers was most likely a contract extension for Harden, who would not have too lots of them left in his Hall of Fame profession. After all, the Cavs would very doubtless not transfer on from their former All-Star level guard in Garland — 10 years youthful than Harden — for simply half a season of Harden. But maybe that’s not a forgone conclusion given the reported mutual interest in a return to Space City.

The Cavs determine to be one of the vital attention-grabbing groups this upcoming offseason, whether or not that happens after this collection with detroit or past. Harden’s contract is an enormous a part of the equation that Koby Altman should clear up.