James Harden‘s representatives gauged the Houston Rockets‘ trade interest following the Los Angeles Clippers‘ 6-21 start to the 2025-26 season, according to Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
The Rockets needed a floor general after losing Fred VanVleet to an ACL tear before the season started, but the franchise decided not to reunite with Harden, who wound up getting traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“We’re not really looking for a heliocentric player, as great as James still is,” one Rockets source told ESPN. “We want to develop Reed [Sheppard], we want to develop Amen [Thompson] and we want the ball in Alpy’s [Alperen Şengün] hands.”
Another Rockets source told ESPN, “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?”
Harden is one of the greatest players in Rockets history. He’s also close friends with Kevin Durant. Houston likely would have defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs with Harden in the fold, especially since the Lakers played without Luka Dončić the entire series and Austin Reaves only played in Games 5 and 6.
Instead, the Rockets lost to the Lakers in six games, while Harden and the Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors in the first round in seven games.
A top 75 player of all time, Harden has a player option for next season worth $42.3 million. His salary is guaranteed only at $13.3 million. The future Hall of Famer is expected to decline his 2026-27 player option and sign a new deal with the Cavaliers.
An 11-time All-Star, Harden holds career averages of 24.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Clippers and Cavaliers. The 36-year-old won the 2017-18 MVP Award with Houston.
