Goalkeeper Eric Gordon said he believes the deal that sent the former cornerstone of the James Harden franchise to the Brooklyn Nets allows the Houston Rockets to have “real direction” under first-year head coach Stephen Silas after a chaotic start. for the season.
“Obviously, since the summer and since the season started, he hasn’t wanted to be here,” Gordon said after Thursday’s launch, when he was the only member of the organization made available to the press. “For us, I think it only gives us a chance [have] a real direction. Everyone else on the team can improve and not worry about his situation. We can simply move forward. “
Gordon was later ruled out of Thursday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Rockets announced a three-team deal with the Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday morning. Houston’s net transaction transaction is four first-round picks (Nets in 2022, 2024 and 2026 and Milwaukee in 2022 through Cleveland), the right to trade first rounders with the Nets in another four years, former Cavs guard Dante Exum and former goalkeeper Nets Caris LeVert and striker Rodions Kurucs. LeVert will be redirected to the Indiana Pacers in a separate trade for former All-Star shooting guard Victor Oladipo, sources said.
The deal came to an end after several awkward months in which Harden demanded a deal, stayed out of training camp and said the Rockets were “not good enough” after Tuesday night’s explosive loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. be the last MVP game of 2018 in Houston uniform.
“On behalf of the entire Rockets organization and the city of Houston, I would like to thank James Harden for eight amazing seasons in a Rockets uniform,” rocket owner Tilman Fertitta said in a statement. “James gave us so many wonderful memories as we watched him grow from the sixth man of the year to a perennial All-Star and MVP. My family and I also want to thank James. for his many out-of-court contributions, including generous charitable donations and multiple annual community events. We wish James good luck and we will always be grateful for the memories. “
The DeMarcus Cousins Missile Center snatched Harden because he was “disrespectful” a few hours before the deal ended Wednesday, saying Harden’s games and comments were “completely unfair” to his Houston colleagues.
Gordon, who arrived in Houston before the 2016-17 season and was Harden Rockets’ longest-running teammate, did not accept Harden’s comments so harshly.
“For me, knowing him personally, I don’t think he meant that until he respected us,” Gordon said. “This is just for me. I think he just wanted a different situation. He kind of showed that and he said it too … I don’t think he really wanted to disrespect the players, but he wanted to get out “And he understood.”