Desperate to compete in a crowded Western Conference landscape, the Houston Rockets are expected to scour the trade market for upgrades.
More specifically, Houston could explore a trade to remedy their point guard woes, which began with a preseason ACL injury to projected starter Fred VanVleet.
Amen Thompson, a natural forward, has filled in as the starting point guard in VanVleet’s absence. While Thompson is a world-class defender, his ability to orchestrate an offense leaves a lot to be desired.
To resolve their point guard inefficiences, former All-Star guard Jeff Teague urged Houston to reunite with a franchise legend, James Harden, before the trade deadline.
“They need James Harden. Bring him back I know the city misses him,” Teague said on Club 520 Podcast. “He’s playing well with the Clippers but Houston could win a [championship].”
Harden, 36, is averaging 25.8 points and eight assists — his highest points per game total since the 2019 season — while converting over 50 percent of his two-point attempts.
Earlier this week, Harden surpassed Shaquille O’Neal to become the NBA’s ninth all-time leading scorer.
Unfortunately, his stellar season has not translated to many wins for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Fading out of the playoff picture and need of draft capital, the Clippers could be open to the idea of trading the veteran guard.
Should the former MVP become available, Houston would be an ideal trade destination.
James Harden Reunion Could Make Houston Title Favorites
GettyJames Harden is among the top trade targets
Not only does Harden have ample point guard experience, but he also has great chemistry with Rockets star Kevin Durant.
The former MVP winners were twice teammates, originally in Oklahoma City and later in Brooklyn.
James Harden: “I don’t really call people, “big dogs”, but I looked up to him… He [knows] how to work.” 🙌
(via @netflixsports)
In Brooklyn, Harden and Durant lost to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in a seven-game 2021 Eastern Conference semi-final matchup.
Should the Rockets pull the trigger on a Harden trade, the 17-year veteran could form an elite duo alongside Durant in Houston.
Harden would provide the Rockets with some much-needed scoring punch behind Durant and Alperen Sengun, while also giving the team a true floor general.
So far this season, Harden has the fifth-most games with 20+ points and 10+ assists. Only Nikola Jokic, Cade Cunningham, Luka Doncic, Deni Avdija and Jamal Murray have more than Harden’s eight.
Earlier this season, Durant noted that he prefers to play alongside point guards who are proficient scorers.
“I need my point guards to get a bucket,” Durant said on the Unguarded Podcast. “I came into the league with Russell Westbrook. Then I went to Steph, then Kyrie and James [Harden]. They passed and got buckets, which made everybody else better.”
Clippers Could Sell High on James Harden
GettyJames Harden leads the Clippers in assists
Although the team has been playing better as of late, this season has been a relative disaster for the Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers’ star forward, was involved in an unusual fraud case that helped team owner Steve Balmher circumvent the NBA salary cap.
On the court, things weren’t going much better. Los Angeles entered New Year’s Day with an 11-21 record, and their struggles were magnified by the fact that the reigning champion Thunder owns their 2026 first-round draft pick rights.
Since Harden doesn’t fit their long-term plans, the Clippers could field offers for the former scoring champion.
Whether they receive young players or draft compensation, the Clippers should at least mull offers for the All-Star guard.
Rockets Urged to Fix Point Guard Woes With James Harden Trade