James Harden may be working out with the Rockets and talking to the media in Houston, but reports continue to indicate he still wants out. And while Brooklyn and Philadelphia remain his preferred destinations, ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne are reporting the Rockets are now pursuing deals with teams beyond the Net and Sixers.
“Several playoff-caliber teams in the Eastern and Western conferences have told ESPN that they’re finding increased comfort in committing high-level trade assets in talks to acquire Harden,” the report reads. “The Rockets have ongoing discussions on several fronts and have been communicating with Harden about those scenarios, sources said.”
After ESPN’s report surfaced, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the Sixers had made Ben Simmons available in trade talks, but Philadelphia’s president of basketball operations Daryl Morey squashed that quickly.
In response, 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium: “We are not trading Ben Simmons — he is an important part of our future.” https://t.co/W6T7HQjjoP
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 18, 2020
Unlike the Simmons-Sixers situation, there’s been no indication of further talks or anything of the sort between the Nets and Rockets.
[jwplayer RIGZ4P5f]