Despite rumors for several months, James Harden did not return to the Houston Rockets in NBA free agency this summer, and the reason why has finally been revealed.
Even before the 2022-2023 came to an end, there were rumors that James Harden and the Houston Rockets were interested in a surprise reunion this Summer. The notion confused many since the future Hall-of-Famer and the organization had an ugly breakup a few years ago when he forced a trade from the franchise he helped make a perennial playoff team.
Beyond the history, Harden heading to Houston did make some sense since the 14-year veteran was believed to be looking for one last massive contract, the Rockets had the most available cap space this summer, and he would certainly help improve the lottery team next season.
Yet, as NBA free agency grew closer, new reports suggested a reunion was less likely and that the franchise was instead targeting different players on the open market.
- James Harden stats (’22-’23): 21.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 10.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 39% 3PT
Houston Rockets new head coach had no interest in James Harden’s return
The reasons behind that shift in strategy were never made clear, until now. On Wednesday, ESPN NBA insider Ramona Shelburne reported that “The Rockets’ interest in reacquiring [Harden] as a free agent cooled after they hired Ime Udoka as their head coach in late April, sources said. Udoka was trying to set a new culture in Houston, not bring back the past. He wanted to target defensive-minded players like Memphis’ Dillon Brooks and Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez.”
Unfortunately, for the former Boston Celtics head coach, the team did not land one-time champion Brook Lopez. However, they did sign the former Memphis Grizzlies defensive ace and made a major splash by giving Fred VanVleet a massive contract this summer.
Udoka was suspended for the 2022-2023 season after engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a member of the Celtics staff and then was traded to Houston in the Spring.