While neither All-Star has requested a trade, James Harden and Russell Westbrook have each expressed concern about the direction of the Houston Rockets, according to a Wednesday report from ESPN.
Citing sources, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon reported that Harden and Westbrook “have expressed concern about the direction of the franchise through direct conversations or discussions with their representatives and the Rockets’ front office.”
Here’s more information from the story:
The concerns expressed by Harden and Westbrook that Houston’s window as a contender could be closing has left the organization fearful that the superstars’ commitment to remaining with the Rockets could be wavering.
Although neither player has requested a trade at this point, that scenario has become a plausible eventual possibility.
James Harden and Russell Westbrook have expressed concerns about uncertainty of Rockets’ immediate future, sources told @wojespn and me. No trade requests have been made and Harden in particular remains engaged with front office in personnel discussions. https://t.co/kstEVb4EUI
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) November 11, 2020
The soonest date that either of the former MVPs could become a free agent is the 2022 offseason. Thus, based on contracts, there isn’t a clear incentive for Houston to rush into any deal. New GM Rafael Stone said last week that the team remains “all in” on a championship push with Harden.
“For the last eight years or so, our goal has been to win a championship because we had James Harden,” Stone said at his introductory press conference. “We’ve still got James Harden. Our goal is still to win a championship. If you’ve got him, you’re halfway there.”
Nonetheless, with Stone replacing a proven GM in Daryl Morey and Stephen Silas taking the spot of a established head coach in Mike D’Antoni, it’s understandable that a pair of 31-year-old veterans could have concerns. The prime years for both guards are likely to wind down in the near future, and they’re each still in pursuit of their first NBA title.
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Beyond instability at GM and head coach, Harden and Westbrook may also have concerns about how the Rockets get better. They finished No. 4 in the Western Conference last season, and their five-game loss in the second round to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers was as close as any West team came to beating them in the playoffs.
It’s certainly not as if the Rockets were that far away. Yet, there’s also no clear route for them to take the next step. When the 2020-21 season begins, five of their top six rotation players (Harden, Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Robert Covington, and P.J. Tucker) will all be at least 30 years old, which limits the potential of organic growth and development. Moreover, Houston lacks any pick in the upcoming 2020 draft, having dealt away their first-round selection to acquire Covington.
They’re also well above the NBA’s $109.1 million salary cap, so there isn’t an easy path to bring in upgrades of significance. They have vowed to spend their $5.7 million Mid-Level Exception (MLE), but it remains to be seen who that would bring in and whether that upgrade is enough.
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Stone could also turn to the trade market for further upgrades. However, if the long-term commitment by Harden and Westbrook is wavering, it might not be advisable to mortgage too much with regards to future draft compensation — should Houston need to rebuild at that time. The Rockets already gave up their first-round picks in 2024 and 2026 to acquire Westbrook from Oklahoma City, but they do still have picks in all other years moving forward. They have full control over their selections in 2022 and 2023, which could make that an optimal time to rebuild.
As such, it’s a delicate balancing act for Stone and the new-look front office. With both Harden and Westbrook under contract for at least two more seasons, there isn’t a reason to panic — especially since neither star has requested a trade, and both presumably lack the leverage to force a deal in 2020. At least for now, staying the course makes sense.
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But that possibility clearly exists down the road, especially when both stars are potentially a year out from free agency in the 2021 offseason. Houston wants to make the most of what could be their last realistic title push of the Harden era, yet they also don’t want to give up too many assets from the years ahead, since a rebuild could be on the horizon.
In theory, the Rockets could consider trading Westbrook before Harden, since the latter is obviously more important to any title push. However, unless another team was willing to trade an All-Star in a Westbrook deal, it’s hard to envision a scenario where downgrading the No. 2 player after Harden would improve Houston’s championship odds. And if they’re not in the mix for a title, then Harden would presumably ask to leave, anyway.
It doesn’t make sense for the Rockets to straddle the line between contending and rebuilding, which forces Stone to choose a lane. For now, it seems to be the former. However, the team’s latest conversations with Harden and Westbrook suggest that the latter might not be too far away.
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