Rockets want to trade James Harden before start of season?

James Harden is under contract with the Houston Rockets for two more seasons, which means there is no reason they have to rush to trade the former NBA MVP. The team may not want the situation dragging on much longer, however.

During an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up!” Friday, Adrian Wojnarowski would not rule out the Rockets trading Harden before the start of the regular season on Wednesday. He said Houston would like to move on “sooner than later.”

.@wojespn said that the Rockets are hoping to get a deal done for Harden "sooner than later," and that Houston is looking into a three-team trade scenario to make sure they get the player they want. pic.twitter.com/FkIQiFnW1b

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 18, 2020

“Houston would like to get this done sooner than later,” Wojnarowski said. “This is a pall over the entire organization and their new head coach Stephen Silas as he tries to implement his program there. But, they’ve got to find the right deal. This is too important for their organization long-term.”

All indications have been that the Rockets have placed a massive asking price on Harden. Most teams are unwilling to meet it at this time, though the Philadelphia 76ers are apparently open to including one of their star players as part of a potential Harden deal.

NBA superstars typically get their way when they decide they want to be traded. Harden knows he would only hurt his own trade value if he goes public with his demands, but we’ve seen that happen with Anthony Davis and others. Considering he missed workouts because he was off partying around the country, we wouldn’t rule out Harden eventually turning up the heat on Houston.

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