James Harden continues efforts to force a trade over the weekend

Over the weekend, James Harden continued his trade campaign

James Harden’s campaign for a one-way ticket out of Houston kicked into high gear over the weekend when the Rockets superstar was partying in a club the night before training camp, was scheduled to begin.

As part of the NBA’s COVID-19 protocol, the association has required players participating in training camp to quarantine in the days leading up to camp. So, instead of quarantining himself, Harden was out on the town, in a club celebrating rapper Lil Baby’s birthday.

There are video clips and photos on social media showing the former MVP making it rain all over the club.

Instead of quarantining, Harden makes the conscious decision to go out partying in close quarters with dozens of people, some with masks, some without. Why should anyone believe this situation between Harden and the Rockets is going to end amicably.

While the Rockets are in no way obligated to accommodate Harden’s trade request, management does have to think about what type of environment any tension between the front office and its superstar could harbor in the locker room.

The Rockets just traded Russell Westbrook, who was ready to leave town after one season playing alongside Harden in the backcourt. In return, Houston received John Wall from the Wizards, a player who at his best is in the mold of a Westbrook, but not quite the same caliber player. Keep in mind, Wall is returning to the court after missing almost two full seasons due to injury.

In a perfect world, Harden gets his way and he ends up in Brooklyn with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. But we know there is no such thing as a perfect world, so eventually, both sides here will inevitably need to sit down, talk this out and come to some sort of conclusion.

The fact of the matter here is that Harden still has three years on his current deal and is owed over $130 million. While conventional NBA wisdom says this contract may be almost impossible to move, the Rockets did just move Westbrook who has a nearly identical deal to Harden’s, where years and money remaining is concerned.

The difference between the two players is that Westbrook is not considered the same caliber player as Harden is around the league. If Wall can come back and play up to 85-90 percent of what he was a couple of years ago, then some might say the Rockets got at least close to equal value for Westbrook in the trade, as they also received a protected first-round pick from the Washington Wizards in the trade.

At worst, Harden is a top-six or seven player in the league at best, he is top five.

Contract money is required to match nearly to the penny in any trade, so it can become tough to find a trade partner at times for a player like Harden. And again, with three years remaining on the deal, the Rockets don’t have to do anything anytime soon where this matter is concerned.

Ultimately, this will come down to how much team owner Tillman Fertitta is willing to put with from Harden and these types of shenanigans. One way or another, the issue will need to be resolved. It is just a matter of it happening sooner rather than later.