When McCollum heard about the report, it didn’t take long for him to do the math. “What am I supposed to think?” McCollum asked rhetorically. “I play the same position as James. If there is a trade for James, who is going to be in the trade?”
More on James Harden Trade?
McCollum shot down any notion that playing Harden while the rumors swirled added any motivation to his game Saturday. “Look, I know I’m nice, man. I don’t need to psyche myself out to go against one of the best players in the world,” McCollum said. “Like, James is really good. Regardless of what James does in his spare time, James is really fucking good at basketball … like, really good. So I don’t need to get extra sleep to go guard a guy that averages 35. You know what I mean?”
Lillard and McCollum don’t just coexist on the court. They are close off it. They vacation together. Workout together. Heck, even their mothers are close. There is a depth and transparency to their relationship that is unmistakable. It’s why Neil Olshey, the Blazers’ president of basketball operations, has so staunchly rejected the idea of trading McCollum. Years ago, when asked about breaking up the backcourt, Olshey broke from his strict policy of not addressing player contracts or status. He countered with his own question: Why would he break up one of the best backcourts in the NBA?
Olshey and Harden have remained close since Harden’s youth, when both lived in Los Angeles. Olshey was an assistant coach at Artesia High, where Harden later attended after Olshey left, and when Olshey was hired by agent Arn Tellem to be a workout specialist for draft prospects, he and Harden forged a friendship that hasn’t wavered. Whether the Olshey/Harden connection is strong enough for Olshey to consider breaking up the Blazers’ backcourt buddies, and if so, whether Portland has enough assets to satisfy Houston are questions that nobody is answering.
McCollum shot down any notion that playing Harden while the rumors swirled added any motivation to his game Saturday. “Look, I know I’m nice, man. I don’t need to psyche myself out to go against one of the best players in the world,” McCollum said. “Like, James is really good. Regardless of what James does in his spare time, James is really f------ good at basketball … like, really good. So I don’t need to get extra sleep to go guard a guy that averages 35. You know what I mean?”
Whether the Olshey/Harden connection is strong enough for Olshey to consider breaking up the Blazers’ backcourt buddies, and if so, whether Portland has enough assets to satisfy Houston are questions that nobody is answering. In the meantime, Lillard and McCollum on Saturday did what they have been doing for years: showing how and why two stars can co-exist. “The foundation of us being connected as a backcourt is our friendship,” Lillard said. “Me wanting the best for him and him wanting the best for me, and him supporting me and me supporting him. I just think we have a balance.”
Adrian Wojnarowski: The Rockets know that they still have time on their side, but it's not a healthy environment right now in Houston. And and they know the sooner they make a trade the better. They just know they have to make the right one.
Kristian Winfield: Steve Nash says he has no communication with Sean Marks as it pertains to a James Harden trade. Says he’s happy with the group of guys the Nets have right now.
Jason Quick: For what it’s worth: Neil Olshey, the Blazers president of basketball operations, has a close relationship with Harden.
James Harden’s holiday wish list has grown longer yet again, it seems. Such is life when you’re a disgruntled NBA star who’s hoping Santa leaves a trade of your liking under the tree this year. Sources told The Athletic that the Houston Rockets guard has recently deemed the Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers among his preferred destinations.
When asked if Harden's behavior would be a red flag in trading for the former MVP, team executives told ESPN they thought it was selfish and reckless but would not prevent a deal. Teams have already done their homework when it comes to Harden both on and off the court. One NBA executive told ESPN that the team had hired a private investigator to do a thorough background check, treating the process of gathering information on him like it would a draft prospect.
The Nuggets were one of numerous teams the Houston Rockets called to gauge interest about a potential James Harden trade. Those talks didn’t gain any traction, however, a league source told The Denver Post. Houston’s interest centered firmly on Nuggets small forward Michael Porter Jr., the source said. Those talks haven’t materialized into anything substantial.
Any potential deal would have to include Gary Harris or Will Barton, if not both, to match salaries, which would leave the Nuggets extremely thin on the wing. As rumors circulated about a potential deal to acquire the disgruntled superstar, another league source told The Post that Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray was never included in any discussion.
The initial rumblings, at the start of Harden’s standoff with the Houston Rockets, suggested that a trade was unlikely to materialize until closer to the March 25 deadline. The Rockets were determined to first see if they could repair their relationship with Harden, then to leverage the two guaranteed seasons left on his contract on the trade market.
More current rumblings indicate that tension within the Rockets is mounting each day Harden goes untraded. The Athletic illuminated some of that tension with a report Tuesday that Harden recently threw a ball in practice at Jae’Sean Tate, his new rookie teammate. Both sides now want to move on as quickly as possible. It’s time.
I still regard Philadelphia as the most likely landing spot for Harden, largely because Ben Simmons most closely fits the description of the sort of building-block player Houston is holding out for in return. I’m also told that the familiarity between Daryl Morey and his Rockets successor, Rafael Stone, will outweigh any lingering ill feelings from Morey’s move to Philadelphia as president of basketball operations less than two weeks after he walked away from his Houston contract. I know Morey has said that Simmons is going nowhere. I also know Morey made similar statements about Chris Paul before he traded Paul to Oklahoma City for Russell Westbrook.
The Heat let it be known this week that they are not actively pursuing Harden, which is a blow for the Rockets because Miami is one of those fearless teams with the oft-proven gumption to embrace an enigma like Harden in spite of the various red flags. The Sixers and the Nets, though, may not be the only other options: In recent days, it has become known that Toronto, Boston and Denver have also had exploratory talks with Houston.
The Nuggets aren’t trading Jamal Murray, a league source told The Denver Post, as rumors circulate about Denver’s potential interest in acquiring Houston’s disgruntled superstar James Harden.
But a league source said Tuesday that Murray would not be traded. His transcendent postseason run in Orlando reaffirmed why the Nuggets gave him a max contract extension last summer and underscored why they view him as a franchise cornerstone, along with center Nikola Jokic.
On the Nuggets, that would likely only leave Michael Porter Jr. as a centerpiece of a deal, along with salary filler to match Harden’s remaining two years (plus a player option), assuming the Rockets were interested.
Ira Winderman: Per source, Heat no longer are engaging Rockets when it comes to Harden. Was told conversation never was more than cursory, but that, of course, always is a matter of perspective. Heat made clear on eve of 2018-19 season they were out of Jimmy Butler talks for that season.
Anthony Chiang: According to a source, the Heat is no longer involved in trade talks for Rockets star guard James Harden. Source said there was an initial call put in by the Heat to check in with the Rockets on the Harden situation, but it didn't go far. Heat opens the regular season Wednesday.
Tim Reynolds: The Miami Heat are not actively pursuing James Harden at this time, AP is told by a source with direct knowledge of the matter. There was preliminary talk between the teams; I would imagine almost every team had those with the Rockets.
While Wojnarowski doesn’t get into any specifics about what Philadelphia would want, it seems reasonable to assume that if they’re being asked to part with Simmons and draft picks, the 76ers would seek at least one more player from the Rockets — perhaps someone like P.J. Tucker. It doesn’t sound like Houston would be enthusiastic about that scenario though, per Wojnarowski, who says the Rockets will likely want Simmons “plus a bunch more assets” for just Harden. “You saw (Sixers president of basketball operations) Daryl Morey come out yesterday and say, ‘We’re not trading Ben Simmons,'” Wojnarowski said. “Well, I certainly don’t think they’re trading Ben Simmons just in a deal that looks like it’s straight up with some picks for James Harden. I think they’re going to want a lot more than James Harden. That might not be a deal that’s available to the Sixers.”
With all the drama swirling around James Harden and the Houston Rockets, it’s impossible not to talk about Harden, and whether the franchise will trade him. That apparently goes for play-by-play man Bill Worrell. During the Rockets’ preseason win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night, he watched as new addition Christian Wood took a rebound coast-to-coast for a score and shouted out, “Who needs James Harden?”
Do you think that's a problem that James Harden, the superstar player for the Houston Rockets has not yet talked to his GM? Zach Lowe: If it's true, it's a problem. I have actually heard that they have a pretty good relationship dating back years now. So I'm kind of surprised if that's the case. Maybe he just means he hasn't talked to him in the last week when he was, you know, MIA from camp and reporting and all that.
But if you thought the Bucks culture was picky, the Heat ecosystem is on a different level altogether. So when it comes to this question of whether Riles, longtime general manager Andy Elisburg and coach Erik Spoelstra might want to convert Harden into their world of discipline and dirty work, it’s safe to say there’s serious skepticism here from sources close to the situation. Especially considering Harden’s recent antics.
There was a time not so long ago when Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t comfortable recruiting other talents to come to town. But then, as we chronicled this week in our piece looking at his decision to sign the five-year supermax extension on Tuesday, that all changed. In this mini-offseason that just passed, he played a part in the Bucks’ pursuit of everyone from Jrue Holiday to Victor Oladipo to Bogdan Bogdanovic. So, is Harden now on that proverbial list? Bucks sources say no.
Harden, it seems, is not seen as a good fit for this Bucks culture that has been so carefully curated by Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, general manager Jon Horst, coach Mike Budenholzer and so many others. They are not expected to pursue him. And while no one can speak for Giannis in terms of his private view of Harden, there was plenty to ponder in the public domain already that suggested this would be a friction-filled superstar pairing…
Harden’s widely-reported dream of joining former teammate Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn seemed to make perfect Superteam sense when it was first revealed, but some rival executives who are tracking this situation closely have grown extremely skeptical of the Nets scenario ever transpiring. Irving, like Durant before him, downplayed the prospect of this happening during his media session on Monday.
The notion of a former MVP still in his prime being available would typically bring all 30 teams running, but the combination of Harden’s ball-dominant style, defensive reputation and personality appear to be tempering interest. Not to mention the fact that he spent the past eight seasons having his run of the place in Houston. “It just fucks up your whole organization,” said one high-ranking official from a team that has pondered the Harden possibility. “Harden is a terrific scorer, but not a champion,” said another front office executive. “He isn’t a two-way player and (he’s) hard to play with. …He is so used to getting his own way, I think there are concerns he can negatively affect a team’s culture.”
Ethan J. Skolnick: We can report at Five Reasons Sports — from multiple league sources — that the inclusion of Duncan Robinson is a major sticking point in the pursuit of Rockets guard James Harden. @5ReasonsSports @ClutchAdamNBA @GregSylvander
Shams Charania: The Philadelphia 76ers have made Ben Simmons available in some packages with the Houston Rockets for James Harden, sources tell @The Athletic @Stadium. Conversations aren't fluid as of now.
Several playoff-caliber teams in the Eastern and Western conferences tell ESPN that they're finding increased comfort in committing high-level trade assets in talks to acquire Harden. The Rockets have ongoing discussions on several fronts and have been communicating with Harden about those scenarios, sources said.
While the Sixers have signaled a willingness to include All-Star guard Ben Simmons in trade packages for Harden, those talks have come nowhere close to a deal, sources said. The Nets are limited by the Rockets' interest in their personnel, and likely would need a third team to emerge in talks, sources said. So far, the Rockets steep asking price of young players and pick hasn't moved any of their discussions into an advanced stage.
The notion of a former MVP still in his prime being available would typically bring all 30 teams running, but the combination of Harden’s ball-dominant style, defensive reputation and personality appear to be tempering interest. Not to mention the fact that he spent the past eight seasons having his run of the place in Houston.
“It just f---- up your whole organization,” said one high-ranking official from a team that has pondered the Harden possibility. “Harden is a terrific scorer, but not a champion,” said another front office executive. “He isn’t a two-way player and (he’s) hard to play with. …He is so used to getting his own way, I think there are concerns he can negatively affect a team’s culture.”
Harden’s widely-reported dream of joining former teammate Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn seemed to make perfect Superteam sense when it was first revealed, but some rival executives who are tracking this situation closely have grown extremely skeptical of the Nets scenario ever transpiring.
Yet even with all that relevant history, this is what matters even more in the moment on this front: Sources say the Sixers want to see what new coach Doc Rivers can do with this new roster and have no urgency to pay anything more than a discount-aisle price for Harden anytime soon. Translation: Two-time All-Star and third-team All-NBA selection Ben Simmons remains off-limits, and these next few weeks will be spent evaluating this revamped group.
History has shown us that no one ever really knows what Pat Riley is up to. That’s part of his genius, right? And as one interested executive put it, you can never put anything past him. But if you thought the Bucks culture was picky, the Heat ecosystem is on a different level altogether. So when it comes to this question of whether Riles, longtime general manager Andy Elisburg and coach Erik Spoelstra might want to convert Harden into their world of discipline and dirty work, it’s safe to say there’s serious skepticism here from sources close to the situation. Especially considering Harden’s recent antics.
Harden brushed off the suggestion that the trade rumors could be a distraction for the team. “Since I’ve been here there’s nothing that’s being said about it. … I’m just preparing for the season so that’s all that matters,” he said.
“If we exactly knew … where his head was, that I think would be good for everybody,” Silas said. “But we’re dealing in reality which is things change on a day-to-day basis. Things change on a game-by-game basis. And as I said before, my job is to coach this basketball team and make sure that the guys are put in the right position.”
Salman Ali: James Harden on what he was doing in Atlanta in Vegas during training camp: "I was just training." For what? "The start of the NBA season." Why in Atlanta and Vegas instead of Houston? "My personal trainers."
Melissa Rohlin: James Harden: "Right now, I'm just focused on being here."
But Houston has its heels dug in regarding Harden, refusing at this point to consider an offer unless it includes a young franchise cornerstone and a bundle of first-round picks and/or promising players on rookie deals. Sources say Harden, who had been singularly focused on trying to force his way to the Brooklyn Nets, has indicated to the Rockets that he would be agreeable to a trade to the 76ers or other select contenders.
Harden has pushed the Rockets to upgrade every offseason, saying he would want to be traded if they couldn't contend, sources said. And he had final say on things beyond just travel and practice schedules as well. He could call the shots on personnel moves, both on the roster and the coaching staff, a power he flexed to push for the firing of head coach Kevin McHale and departures of co-stars Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, sources said.
MULTIPLE ROCKETS OFFICIALS acknowledge that the entire organization has been "complicit" in the culture that has been created over the past eight years. "We knew who the boss of the organization was," a former Rockets assistant coach said. "That's just part of what the deal was when you go to Houston. The players, coaches, GM, owner all know. "I don't blame James. I blame the organization. It's not his fault. He did what they allowed him to do."
One of Paul's biggest beefs, sources said, was that Harden basically opted not to participate in the Rockets' offense when the ball wasn't in his hands, sometimes barely stepping over half court while spectating when Paul had the ball. Harden quickly tired of Paul barking about his concerns, which included lobbying coach Mike D'Antoni to implement more structure and movement in an offensive system that revolved around Harden's isolations, sources said.
Rockets management believed those issues could be ironed out and wanted to run it back with the Harden-Paul duo last season. Those plans changed as soon as Westbrook became available. Harden insisted the Rockets get the deal done, saying he'd demand a trade if they didn't find a way to bring his childhood friend and former OKC teammate to Houston, sources said. The Rockets paid a price that was considered steep at the time -- Paul, 2024 and 2026 first-round picks, and swap rights in 2021 and 2025.
Sources said Westbrook frequently expressed his displeasure during the season with not being able to "play my game," as he put it. There were questions about the Harden-Westbrook fit when they were pushing to play together again, including D'Antoni privately expressing his concerns, sources said.
Adrian Wojnarowski on James Harden: His focus remains on getting a trade out of Houston. And regardless of what John Wall has looked like or Boogie cousins early in the preseason, it's not going to impact his thinking. He's made that clear to the organization. Ramona Shelburne and I are told that that he's going to work with them here in the interim, until they find a trade, he's going to play, he's going to be there. He knows that if he becomes a problem with the team, it makes it harder to trade him because the team becomes limited perhaps in the kind of assets they can get back.
Adrian Wojnarowski: They have talked with the Sixers. But they've not gotten close to a deal with them. And listen, there are teams around the league who kicked the tires on it. But nobody who has kind of dove into this headfirst.
“I think you can now argue that Houston needs to hold tight until the offseason to move James because there will be far more competition for him,” one of the Western Conference executives told HoopsHype. “Contending teams that kept their powder dry plotting a run at Giannis and bad teams that can absorb him into a preponderance of cap space. I don’t see things changing significantly by the deadline, and the number is so hard to aggregate that good teams don’t really have enough fungible money. If they get to the deadline and are in contention, you are less likely to throw a bunch of deals at them to stack up to Harden.”
"At the end of the day, he's going to do what's best for him and the organization is going to do what's best for them also," said point guard John Wall (15 points, three assists), who expressed excitement about pairing with Harden after arriving in a trade for Russell Westbrook two weeks ago. "The most important thing is when we step on that floor, we step into practice, we're focusing ourselves on basketball. "I don't try to ask him about that because that's his personal business. All I worry about is what we can do to make this Rockets team the best that we can be while everybody is here and move forward with that."
Salman Ali: James Harden updates from @Adrian Wojnarowski: -Houston isn't interested in the Nets package for Harden -If Brooklyn wants Harden, they'd have to pursue a three-way deal to net Houston a blue chip prospect -Philadelphia remains the natural trading partner for Houston because of Ben Simmons pic.twitter.com/XuQP8WoSiX
Salman Ali: Woj on Rockets: “This organization has consulted with James Harden on everything for years. He’s had as much say as any star player in the league has had with how an organization is run, who his teammates were going to be, and that would’ve continued if he wanted to be there.” pic.twitter.com/vcTWlAMyPt
Where will James Harden be playing after the trade deadline? 1. Houston Rockets: 6 T2. Brooklyn Nets: 1 T2. Philadelphia 76ers: 1 While it's clear Harden would like to be traded, making a move is far easier said than done, at least in the eyes of rival scouts and executives. Harden's large contract -- and interest in extending that contract with only a handful of teams -- makes it difficult to match salaries, especially if the Rockets maintain their demands for a package of potential young stars and a boatload of future first-round picks.
Those factors together led most to say that despite current appearances, Harden won't be on the move anytime soon. "Who f---ing knows, man," an East exec said with a laugh. "I don't think he gets traded unless other teams get involved and there becomes a bidding war of sorts. Otherwise I think they just hold pat. They're not going to trade him for crap."
First-year Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas said he had a "good conversation" with James Harden before the perennial All-Star's first practice of the season Monday, but they did not discuss Harden's reported desire to be traded. "You can ask him about his commitment and all that sort of thing," said Silas, who has not been in regular communication with Harden, saying recently that he had given the face of the franchise "space" as he pondered his future. "But we had a good conversation. He was locked in. He was asking good questions. He was bringing up good points. We had a good discussion."
"We talked basketball," Silas said. "I'm a basketball coach, and he's a basketball player. We talked hoop today. As far as his commitment to what we're doing basketball-wise, he was right there. As far as the rumors and all the other stuff I can't speak to, again, that's another question you'll have to ask of him."
The Nets have been involved in plenty of rumors -- particularly surrounding the trade availability of superstar James Harden. Brooklyn is reportedly atop Harden's wish list of preferred destinations. Irving said he and the Nets have tried to limit the outside noise. "There's no control that we have as players to manage what's being said in terms of rumor mills and what's being reported, so let's just leave it at that," Irving said. "James is a great player, we wish him well, and I just want him to be happy and secure in who he is as a man first. And then as a basketball player, whatever happens between those conversations is between them first."
Tim MacMahon: Stephen Silas says James Harden will play in tomorrow's preseason game. "We'll figure out the minutes tomorrow," Silas said.
Salman Ali: Silas on his conversation with Harden: "We talked basketball. I'm a basketball coach and he's a basketball player. As far as his commitment to what we were doing basketball-wise, he was right there."
Adam Spolane: Stephen Silas says James Harden and P.J. Tucker were both at practice and participated. "They were very good"
Michael C. Wright: Stephen Silas on James Harden: "We had a good conversation, and I'm just gonna leave it at that. He was asking good questions, he was bringing up good points. We had a good discussion."
Marc J. Spears: "I'm not sure. It's an interesting situation going on with that. I think the whole league is interested to see (what happens)," Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan on whether he expects to play against Rockets guard James Harden in a preseason game tomorrow.
Alex Schiffer: Irving asked about James Harden rumors: "That part of our business is going to be what it is...James is a great player and we wish him well." Adds players can't control the rumor mill when it comes to trades.
Yaron Weitzman: Re: Sixers-Harden negotiations: I'm told the Rockets have asked the Sixers for 3 first round picks in addition to Ben Simmons. As many others have reported, the Sixers so far have been unwilling to include Simmons in any proposals.
The arrival of John Wall has left All-NBA guard James Harden unmoved and uninterested in pursuing a new partnership, and the franchise star continues to push the Houston Rockets for a trade, sources told ESPN.
After making his Rockets preseason debut this weekend, Wall expressed hope that Harden might become excited about playing together with him in a backcourt -- a prospect that Harden is rejecting as he prepares to rejoin the team on Monday in practice, sources said. "I think me and James can be a heck of a combination," Wall told reporters after the Rockets 104-91 loss to the Chicago Bulls Sunday night. "I just hope we get the opportunity to get into the regular season and see how it goes." This isn't personal with Wall, and as one source tells ESPN, there's "no change" in Harden's desire for a fresh start elsewhere.
For now, the Sixers are unwilling to include All-Stars Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons in trades, and the Rockets are uninterested in a package primarily composed of the Nets' complementary players and draft picks, sources said. The Nets aren't interested in trading Kyrie Irving, nor have the Rockets expressed an interest in acquiring him, sources said. For starters, the Nets and Rockets would need to find a more palatable young player on a third team as part of a broader deal, sources said, and there's no indication that prospect has gained any traction in recent weeks.
After detouring to social engagements in Atlanta and Las Vegas prior to reporting late for training camp last week, Harden -- a league MVP and three-time NBA scoring champion -- has expressed to Rockets ownership and management his intention to be professional and engaged upon joining the team, sources said.
Houston Rockets All NBA guard James Harden’s interest in the Miami Heat as one of the teams that would appeal to him if he’s traded is mutual, according to a source briefed on the situation.
The Heat would have interest in Harden if the Rockets decide to trade him, according to the source. At this point, Houston has displayed no particular interest in granting his trade request.
