The Rockets Need To Trade James Harden
James Harden has been in trade rumors throughout the offseason, but it looks like they won’t be trading their MVP. But Harden actions off the court makes it look like he doesn’t want to be with the team, and now all of a sudden you have a New Orleans – Anthony Davis situation, only weirder. Today I’m going to go over why the Rockets should trade James Harden, and start their rebuild.
How We Got To This Point
After losing in the 2nd round of the playoffs against the Lakers last season, it was clear that the Rockets weren’t going to win a title. And they seemed to accept this and start to rebuild. Daryl Morey and Mike D’Antoni both left, heading to the Eastern Conference. The Rockets traded Robert Covington to Portland, and they lost some of their bench depth to free agency. They really seemed to be accepting their rebuild.
This was around the time that Russell Westbrook and James Harden trade rumors really started to heat up. Westbrook and Harden didn’t like each other, and they both wanted out, especially Westbrook. Harden was rumored to go to Brooklyn to form a big 3, and Westbrook would either be going to New York or Charlotte, both very interesting landing spots.
But then things cooled down, and it seemed like the Rockets would keep both their MVPs. Then they traded Westbrook to Washington to get John Wall back, a shocking move. The Wizards clearly robbed the Rockets in this trade, as Houston got a massive contract with Wall, as well with the uncertainty of the level of his play. Wall has played just 73 games over the past 3 seasons, and I don’t believe he’ll ever be the same.
After Westbrook was traded, rumors for Harden on the trade-market again went up, but Houston insists that they won’t trade him and now we’re at current day. The Rockets signed DeMarcus Cousins to try and please Wall, who played with Cousins in college at Kentucky. But it’s baffling to me why the Rockets are doing all of this instead of trading Harden.
The Ugly Harden Situation
Harden hasn’t been showing up at the Rockets workouts and practices, instead partying with other celebrities during a pandemic. Harden is complaining about the culture in Houston, which is very ironic since he is the culture. As the best player, he can’t be setting this type of example. This whole situation is embarrassing, and Harden hasn’t made any steps to make things better.
Harden has been asked to be traded to other contending teams, but Houston won’t trade him. I get that the Rockets want to stay relevant, but they’re not doing it with Harden, Christian Wood, DeMarcus Cousins, and John Wall. I didn’t project them as a playoff team, because their roster is thin and Stephen Silas is in a very tough spot, trying to deal with Harden.
It is clear that Harden is unhappy with the situation in Houston, and we’re heading down the same path that AD and New Orleans did. Soon it’ll be really bad for both the team and the league, and nobody wants that.
I really don’t know why the Rockets continue to try and think they’re contending when they should be rebuilding. They should trade Harden for the best deal involving young talent and draft picks. Do the same for John Wall, and then start sucking, and fast. Then you get some high draft picks and a new chapter of Rockets basketball.
Harden has made this situation bad for everybody with his actions, but now the Rockets are compounding the mistake by letting Harden stay with the team. New coach Stephen Silas is in a tough spot, and it’s a bad way to treat your new coach. The Rockets should cut ties with Wall and Harden and just start rebuilding.
Them just standing around hoping for results is futile. It’s bad for the organization and the league. And if I’m other teams, Harden’s actions speak a lot. His play-style isn’t easy to play with, and now he’s doing these type of insensitive things.
The Best Course Of Action
It’s clear that Harden doesn’t want to be here, and I know that you think you can still contend in the West, but you can’t. You lose some of your best role players and we’re not sure how good John Wall even is. The Rockets and James Harden failed to win a title, and they should both cut ties.
The Rockets should try and find a trade that gets them the most future, with Ben Simmons from Philly being the option. But the Rockets just need to get rid of Harden.
And James Harden, you should be ashamed of yourself. The handling of this situation was very, very poor, especially considering the global pandemic that everybody else is dealing with. You’ve made the organization look bad, you’ve but new coach Stephen Silas in a terrible spot, and now it looks like you’re getting traded. But teams better be wary of what Harden’s done these last few months, and really think before they get the former MVP.
Is James Harden Going To Be Traded? Leave A Comment Down Below!
Follow My Instagram To Never Miss A Post: @hoopnotions
Rockets will trade him by the trade deadline but they will start the season with him.