The Houston Rockets plan to keep James Harden away from the team until they can complete an exchange involving the star escort, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.
The Houston headquarters is currently weighing the best final commercial offers from the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, sources in Wojnarowski and Shelburne reported.
Rockets coach Stephen Silas told reporters Harden would not be in practice on Wednesday, a day after the league’s most valuable former player said the team “just isn’t good enough” after receiving a beating from the Los Angeles Lakers.
“We felt it was best for the group and best for James not to come to practice,” Silas said.
Harden, in what he represented the closest it has been to a public exchange demand, said after Tuesday’s 117-100 defeat that he doesn’t believe the Rockets “can fix it” and that “I literally did all I can “.
The Houston head office was determined to be patient until Harden’s sale price was reached, sources told ESPN. The Rockets had informed teams they want a young franchise cornerstone and a pack of first-round picks and / or intriguing talent in rookie contracts in exchange for Harden, the sources said.
Harden made it clear to owner Tilman Fertitta before the season that he did not believe in the direction and ability of the franchise to compete and preferred to be switched to a team that was in a better position to win, sources said.
Fertitta was disappointed, but told Harden that he would explore the foreign exchange market according to the Rockets’ schedule. Since then, he has continually given Harden assurances that he will change, and empowered new general manager Rafael Stone to switch to three-time scoring champion, who is three years old and $ 133 million with a player option to the last remaining season of his contract, when he finds a deal he likes.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon contributed to this report.