A potential reunion between James Harden and the Houston Rockets reportedly won’t happen.
During a Twitter live stream, The Athletic’s Kelly Iko said Harden has eliminated the Rockets as a possible free-agent destination if he declines his $35.6 million player option with the Philadelphia 76ers. Houston is reportedly moving its focus to Fred VanVleet.
“In recent days, I’ve understood that Houston is no longer an option for James,” Iko said. “I would call them out of the running.”
REPORT: The Rockets are currently “out of the running” for James Harden, per @KellyIko. pic.twitter.com/A7e7iQsmJm
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 29, 2023
Per Iko, Harden “was never interested in taking some kind of discount,” and the Rockets were “never going to pay him” a max contract.
Iko also said Harden was “surprised” by the Phoenix Suns trading for Bradley Beal. The former MVP, who has a home in Arizona, considered the Suns an option before that deal removed them from the picture.
Harden averaged 28.7 points per game in eight-plus seasons with the Rockets and is second to Hakeem Olajuwon on the franchise’s all-time scoring leaderboard. Although he led them to eight straight playoff appearances, they never won the Western Conference.
The 10-time All-Star also didn’t leave on the smoothest turns. Harden pushed his way to the Brooklyn Nets early in the 2020-21 season before orchestrating a move to Philadelphia the following season. He averaged 21.0 points and 10.7 assists per game and turned back the clock by exceeding 40 points twice in a second-round series against the Boston Celtics.
Harden has until Thursday to decide on his player option.