Rockets reportedly believe they can keep James Harden through season

The Houston Rockets do not appear to be actively exploring trade possibilities for James Harden, and there has been talk for quite some time that they would prefer to keep the former MVP. Apparently they feel they can do that until at least next offseason.

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer reported on Monday that executives around the NBA believe the Rockets are growing increasingly confident that Harden will be content to remain in Houston at least through the remainder of the season.

While Harden still would prefer to be traded, he said Saturday that the Rockets “have a chance to do something special” if they can continue to build chemistry. Houston is off to a 3-5 start, but John Wall appears to have returned to his pre-injury form. O’Connor also notes that Harden and Christian Wood are enjoying great success in Stephen Silas’ pick-and-roll offense.

The Rockets have supposedly placed an unrealistically high price tag on Harden. That is the main reason he hasn’t been traded, but they have likely done that because they have no real desire to move him.

Harde, who is averaging 26.0 points and 11.0 assists per game through the early part of the season, recently added two more teams to his preferred trade destinations. It’s possible he could turn up the pressure on the Rockets closer to the March 25 trade deadline, but Houston is hoping the team has made enough progress between now and then to make Harden want to stick around.