The Houston Rockets reached their recent peak in the mid-to-late 2010s when James Harden was their franchise star, leading them to multiple deep playoff runs and setting multiple franchise records in the process.
At this point, the team looks vastly different from when Harden was there, now with a core of Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, and Alperen Sengun, each of whom has helped lead them to a 17-9 record and unanimous status as title contenders.
But since point guard Fred VanVleet suffered an ACL injury before the season, there have been questions surrounding the Rockets and how they’ve managed without a true point guard on the roster. However, former NBA All-Star and champion Jeff Teague recently urged the team to go after their former franchise star and make a trade for Harden as their new point guard.
“They need to trade for James Harden,” Teague said on his Club 520 Podcast. “Tell James you want him to play like he was in Brooklyn. Be the point guard.”
Along with the Rockets needing a playmaking guard, the Los Angeles Clippers have been rumored to be interested in trading away many of their top players, considering how poor a start to the season they’ve had.
James Harden Rockets Reunion?
A Rockets trade for Harden would almost certainly have to include VanVleet just to make the money work. They’d likely have to throw in a mid-level player as well, but if it cements their status as title contenders, like with the trade for Durant, they seem to be focused on winning a title in the next two years.
Though still impactful, Harden does have the tendency to not perform at his best, whether that be in his previous stint in Houston, his time with the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, or now the Clippers, when unhappy. Yet still, Teague believes that with head coach Ime Udoka, he could get the most out of the 36-year-old, who spent eight and a half seasons putting together a Hall of Fame-level resume with the Rockets.
“[Ime] got a good way of getting the best out of players,” Teague added. “I think he could challenge James Harden enough to guard defensively. And then I think they got a team that’s capable of making a real run in the playoffs, so I think, James, obviously, he’s still playing at a high level right now, but I think he’d be motivated.”
On the season, Harden is averaging 25.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 8.2 assists on 43.3% shooting in Los Angeles. He’s no longer the MVP-caliber offensive hub he was when with Houston in the past, but he remains one of the most impactful offensive players in the game, whether it be by scoring or playmaking.
Harden did sign a two-year, $81.5 million deal with the Clippers over the summer with a player option for next year, but that could be moved for the $25 million VanVleet is owed, and someone like Dorian Finney-Smith or Jabari Smith Jr.
Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun Leading The Rockets
Despite being the most notable addition for Houston over the summer and still being their go-to option, Durant has taken a slight step back this season. He is still averaging a strong 25.3 points, five rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 50.9% shooting at 37 years old, but hasn’t held the same massive offensive responsibility seen over the past few years.
Taking the reins for Houston alongside Durant have been Thompson, Sengun, and, more recently, Reed Sheppard as well. All three are having the best seasons of their young careers, and in the case of Thompson, it is playmaking and defense, Sengun’s status as an offensive hub, and Sheppard’s shooting and shot creation, each of which has been worthy of their mention on a recent ‘NBA 25 under 25’ by ESPN.
Additionally, in a recent deep dive on the team by Michael C. Wright, both Thompson and Sengun were named the two players who hold Durant’s final run at a championship in the balance.
“Kevin Durant’s arrival in Houston raised expectations, but they likely won’t be met without the continued growth of Thompson and Sengun. The young duo, 22 and 23, respectively, has played the most minutes this season together of any Rockets pair, per ESPN Research,” Wright wrote. “They’ve also formed a budding chemistry that threatens to take the league by storm for years to come.”
Both are having the best year of their young careers, and though they offer vastly different skillsets, they are each as valuable to the Rockets’ title hopes this season. If Houston does entertain the idea of a trade for Harden, it would be unlikely that they’d include either in a trade for the team’s second all-time leading scorer.
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