James Harden was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers at the NBA trade deadline, but only after he was spurned by one of his former teams.
Harden had interest in a reunion with the Houston Rockets, but the feeling was not mutual, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Despite the Rockets having a point guard need with Fred VanVleet out for the season, the organization had no interest in pursuing a trade for Harden.
Harden famously had his best seasons with the Rockets and became a superstar there. The two sides did not exactly part amicably, and he was traded to the Nets in 2021.
The Rockets presumably had no real interest in Harden beyond this season, which likely would have complicated a trade. They certainly have a team that could contend in the West this season, and the move would have reunited him with Kevin Durant, but Houston likely had little interest in giving up too much of value for a short-term addition.
The Clippers were able to get a young All-Star in exchange for Harden, a price the Rockets almost certainly would not have wanted to match. They also likely would have preferred not to trade Harden to a Western Conference rival.
Harden instead heads to Cleveland, where he will have a chance to bolster a Cavaliers team that has underachieved this year but could still contend in a wide open Eastern Conference. The Rockets seem content to try and win without a true point guard until VanVleet returns, which may not be until next season.
