As a potential trade with James Harden continues to grow, the former MVP would have expanded the list of favorite landing sites by two.
Harden has added Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers to his list of favorite destinations, according to Sam Amick of athletic. He joins a group that includes the 76ers, Nets and Bucks as teams that are rumored to be on Harden’s list. This group also included the Heat, but Miami reportedly ended up pursuing a Harden trade. Milwaukee wouldn’t be interested anymore.
Harden has two more years on his contract, plus a $ 47.3 million player option for the 2022-23 season.
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The opening of the season in Houston has been postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the team. Three players gave positive results, another four being quarantined due to following contacts. Harden was unavailable for violating health and safety protocols and was later fined $ 50,000.
The league will review Harden’s videos at a club, in violation of NBA policy COVID-19, which prohibits players from attending social gatherings covered by 15 or more people or entering bars, lounges, clubs, or units. similar.
As his uncertain status dragged on into the season, Harden was described as having an “uncharacteristic” level of frustration, according to Shams Charania of athletic. It seems that Harden got into verbal altercations with his teammates, although it is not clear what the disputes were about.
With so many uncertainties about the Rockets’ ability to find a business partner willing to give up the right value for a superstar player, Amick reports that there is a “growing belief” within the organization that Harden could end up in Houston. for the rest of the season or beyond. The Rockets aren’t also forced to limit their discussions to just the teams on Harden’s roster, creating an extra layer of intrigue to what is already the NBA’s juiciest off-field story.