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Early on in the NBA’s offseason, the Houston Rockets were being linked to a surprisingly big name.
Despite having another rough year during the 2022-23 NBA season, there were reports that the Rockets could end up reuniting with James Harden just a few years after he forced them to trade him to the Nets.
The reunion never ended up happening as Harden decided to exercise his player option for next year and try to get the 76ers to trade him instead.
Rather than attempt to trade for Harden, the Rockets decided to turn elsewhere to fill their need at point guard.
It turns out that their new head coach was a big reason why they went in a different direction.
According to Heavy’s Steve Bulpett, Ime Udoka didn’t want the Rockets to go after Harden.
The @HoustonRockets were planning to pursue James Harden this summer but changed their stance. Why? Well, Ime Udoka happened.
'Ime said 'It’s not going to work here.''
More from @SteveBHoop at @HeavyOnSports:https://t.co/54j9AjA2MH— Sean Deveney (@SeanDeveney) July 7, 2023
“From everything we’ve gotten out of there, it was a matter that Ime didn’t want him,” one league source told Heavy Sports. “At the beginning, were they thinking about Harden? Yeah. But then they hired Ime, and Ime said, ‘It’s not going to work here.’”
It looks like it hasn’t taken Ime Udoka long to figure out what he wants for this Houston Rockets team.
Harden would have been a bit of an odd fit for a Rockets team that is extremely young. Bringing him would have really limited the franchise’s window to contend.
Instead, they’ll now turn to Fred VanVleet at point guard, who gives the team a much larger window to try and become a contender again at 29 years old.
The Rockets’ starting lineup to finish last season was entirely made up of players 22 or younger, which means VanVleet will become the veteran leader for this squad.
Meanwhile, James Harden will try to find a team whose competition window is a bit more urgent.