As a potential James Harden trade continues to develop, the former MVP has reportedly expanded his list of favorite landing spots by two.
According to Sam Amick van, Harden has added the Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers to his list of favorite destinations The athletic. They join a group that includes the 76ers, Nets, and Bucks as teams said to be on Harden’s list. That group also included the Heat, but Miami has reportedly ended its pursuit of a Harden trade. Milwaukee is also reportedly no longer interested.
Harden has two more years on his contract, plus a $ 47.3 million player option for the 2022-23 season.
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Houston’s season opener was delayed due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the team. Three players tested positive, while four others were quarantined for contact tracing. Harden was unavailable due to violation of health and safety protocols and was later fined $ 50,000.
The league is reportedly reviewing a video of Harden in a club, which would violate the NBA’s COVID-19 policy that prohibits players from attending indoor social gatherings of 15 or more people or from bars, lounges, clubs or similar establishments.
With his uncertain status dragging into the season, van Harden is reportedly said to have an ‘unusual’ level of frustration, according to Shams Charania of The athletic. Harden has reportedly gotten into verbal quarrels with teammates, although it is unclear what the disputes were about.
With so much uncertainty about the Rockets’ ability to find a trading partner willing to sacrifice enough value for a superstar player, Amick reports that there is a “growing belief” within the organization that Harden would eventually be in Houston can stay for the rest of the season or afterwards. The Rockets are also under no obligation to limit their discussions only to the teams on Harden’s list, adding an extra layer of intrigue to what is already the NBA’s juiciest storyline.