James Harden reportedly remains set on getting out of Houston via trade, despite the Rockets swinging a blockbuster to bring in John Wall earlier this off-season.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne and Adrian Wojnarowski, Harden is “unmoved and uninterested in pursuing a new partnership” with Wall.
After the Rockets acquired Wall and a first-round pick from the Wizards for Russell Westbrook, Wall said he was looking forward to playing with Harden.
“I think me and James can be a heck of a combination,” Wall said of the 2018 MVP after Sunday’s pre-season loss to the Bulls. “I just hope we get the opportunity to get into the regular season and see how it goes.”
Shelbourne and Wojnarowski add that Harden is aware it may take time for a trade to emerge as the Rockets try to maximize his value in a market that doesn’t feature many teams able to offer up a large enough trade package. Harden’s super-max contract carries a player option after the 2021-22 season and teams are reportedly reluctant to pay Houston’s asking price without assurance Harden will stay beyond the next two seasons.
Harden has reportedly indicated he would be interested in joining the Nets, 76ers, Bucks or Heat, but those teams have indicated they won’t trade important assets such as Joel Embiid or Kyrie Irving to make a deal happen.
After missing the first few days of training camp for various other engagements, Harden is expected to receive a sixth-consecutive negative COVID-19 test result Monday and could be a full participant in a group practice for the first time.
Wall, who has missed the last two seasons with heel and Achilles injuries, is averaging 17 points through two pre-season games.
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