James Harden will make preseason debut for Rockets on Tuesday

James Harden still wants out of Houston, but it appears he’ll be taking part in preseason action as usual.

Rockets coach Stephen Silas confirmed Monday that Harden will make his preseason debut for the Rockets in Tuesday’s game. Harden has taken part in the team’s light workout as well. That means he has successfully passed the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols and been cleared to take part in team activities.

While there were no explicit rumors about Harden sitting out preseason games, everything seems to need clarifying with him these days. After all, we’d heard that Harden planned to report to camp on time, but we saw how that worked out.

Harden wants a trade, but the Rockets are in no rush to move on his request. That means Tuesday will offer a glimpse of how he could coexist with new backcourt partner John Wall. There’s no reason to believe Harden won’t open the season with Houston, so him getting preseason minutes with his new supporting cast is important, trade request or not.

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