The Houston Rockets were devastated before the season started by an injury to Fred VanVleet. VanVleet tore his ACL, messing up the plans they had laid in the offseason. A trade for Kevin Durant signaled that they were ready to be title contenders.
VanVleet’s injury meant that the Rockets had a massive hole at the point guard position. At that time, James Harden and his representatives were looking for a new home. Harden knew that he wasn’t going to get a contract extension with Los Angeles.
There were rumors that Houston was going to make a move for Harden. Now, ESPN reports the reason that they decided against making that move.
GettyCleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden drives the ball in a game. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
The Rockets Thought James Harden was too Heliocentric
According to Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN, the Rockets decided against trading for Harden because of his style of play. They thought he was too heliocentric. Shelbourne had a source tell her that in her piece.
“We’re not really looking for a heliocentric player, as great as James still is,” one team source said. “We want to develop Reed, we want to develop Amen, and we want the ball in Alpy’s hands.”
Another source told Shelbourne that they weren’t going to put the ball in his hands, anyway.
“We weren’t going to put the ball in [Harden’s] hands, so why would you trade for James if you’re not going to give him the ball?”
Instead of trading for Harden, they decided to entrust Reed Sheppard with more playing time. Sheppard was the third overall pick in the draft during the 2024 season. This was the best chance for them to develop him and see what kind of talent he has.
Houston still believes in Sheppard’s eventual development into a good player. Harden ended up being traded to the Cavaliers at the trade deadline, ending his time with the Clippers. Cleveland advanced to the second round after beating the Raptors in seven games.
GettyCleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden dribbles the ball. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Houston Was Better off Without Trading for James Harden
It was a good move for the Rockets not to bring in Harden. Harden and Durant played with each other in Oklahoma City and Brooklyn. Neither situation ended up netting their teams a championship. It also allows Houston to have assets to pursue a bigger trade this offseason.
The assets they were able to retain could allow them to go after Giannis Antetokounmpo in the offseason. Antetokounmpo is the player that every team is trying to pursue this summer, as his time in Milwaukee is seemingly at an end. Sheppard could potentially be in a trade to land him.
Even if the Rockets don’t trade for Antetokounmpo, adding Harden would have been a bad move. He wants a contract extension, and that would have hamstrung Houston from keeping other good players on the roster. This season, they had the sixth-most expensive roster in the league. Had Harden come in, that could have pushed them above the first apron.
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