It appears that James Harden sees his future away from Houston Rockets. According to multiple reports, Harden recently rejected an extension offer from the team and would like to be traded to Brooklyn Nets.
Reportedly, the Rockets offered Harden a two-year, $103 million on top of his current three years, $133 million. This would make him the highest-paid player in NBA history while also tying him to the franchise through the 2024/25 season.
However, Harden said no to the offer and is focused on leaving the franchise which he represented for the past nine years. According to sources, the 31-year-old player is unsure about the team’s ability to compete and believes he would have a far better chance of winning an NBA title elsewhere.
So far, Harden has Brooklyn Nets as his preferred destination. In Brooklyn, he would reunite with former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate and fellow MVP Kevin Durant while also playing with another superstar in Kyrie Irving.
Nets are aware of Harden’s wishes and have engaged in talks with Rockets about a possible deal. However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that no deal is imminent and that the two sides haven’t had “meaningful dialogue” regarding the matter.
Having Harden under contract for the next three years gives Houston a chance to slow down the process and explore the market. It is in their interest to start a bidding war, so we shouldn’t expect a deal anytime soon. But, as things look now, it will happen at some point.
Since coming to Houston in a trade from OKC, James Harden established himself as one of the best basketball players in the world and arguably one of the best scorers in the history of the NBA. Harden made the All-Star in each of the past eight seasons and finished in the top three of MVP voting five times since 2015 while winning the award in 2017/18.
