Former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey may have had a sense that James Harden would seek a trade prior to Morey laving the team after last season, ESPN insider Tim MacMahon suggested.
MacMahon did so in response to a comment maybe by fellow veteran reporter Brian Windhorst.
“Maybe Daryl pulled the ripcord and got out of there maybe because he knew this was as far as he could take it,” Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective podcast.
MacMahon responded by saying, “Listen, I think your cause and effect is out of whack there. Daryl pulled the ripcord because he knew Harden was going to pull the ripcord. ‘You want to jump out of the plane? Not until I go first.'”
Harden is still reportedly seeking a trade and per The Athletic, has expanded his “wish list” of potential destinations to include the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat. He had already been linked to the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, though a deal to either one of those franchises seems like a long shot.
According to a USA Today report, Harden decided he wanted a trade after the Rockets hired Stephen Silas as coach. Harden is currently undergoing a series of COVID-19 tests after skipping the early part of training camp. Silas surmised Harden could join practice as soon as Monday.
“Obviously, it wasn’t a good start to it,” Silas said of Harden’s late arrival. “But that’s the NBA.”
Morey has since become president of basketball operations with the Philadelphia 76ers.
