NBA Trade Rumors: The Houston Rockets are hoping James Harden plays nice
Sometimes, the NBA – in this case, the Houston Rockets – is a lot like Seinfeld.
Have you ever seen that scene from Seinfeld where George Costanza quits his job and then realizes how important a job is and then tries to show up on Monday, acting like he didn’t quit and that nothing had happened?
Well, the Rockets are trying to pull a similar move.
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According to a recent report, the Rockets believe that James Harden won’t continue to push for his trade demand now that the 2020-21 NBA season is well underway.
"[via The Ringer]Front office executives around the NBA say Houston is growing more confident that Harden will be content to stick around at least through the rest of the season. Sources say Harden still prefers to be dealt"
The hope is that Harden will play nice for the rest of the season and perhaps both sides could revisit the trade demand during the offseason, where it will be easier to make a deal that both sides prefer.
Though, in the process, there’s a good chance that this will end up being a lost season for the Rockets. As long as James Harden is on the roster and in the locker room, there’s still a huge elephant in the room that remains unresolved.
I’m not sure how a team, even a professional one, will be able to compete in a difficult Western Conference with this issue hanging over its head. The Rockets are currently 3-5 and are sitting in 14th place in the West through the first eight games.
Plus, there’s the whole potential of Harden blowing up again and making things uglier than they were just a few weeks ago.
If you remember that episode of Seinfeld, in the end, George loses his job. And the maneuvering that he tries to do to act like he didn’t quit doesn’t work.
I’m not sure how this will all end for the Rockets, but this is a bold move. They’re essentially hoping that James Harden forgets about his wish to be traded and settles for his current situation. It’ll be interesting to see how this all works out for both parties.