The Houston Rockets have been consistently linked with an iconic return of former superstar James Harden. Harden, who is set to make $36,500,000 in the upcoming season, is currently embroiled in a controversial impasse with the Philadelphia 76ers. Amidst the chaos, Rockets’ head coach Ime Udoka recently talked about their trade for Fred VanVleet, claiming that he was a much better fit than James Harden. According to Stephen Smith on ESPN’s First Take, Udoka’s team was in talks with the 76ers over Harden’s signature but ended up backing out.
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The head coach, however, claimed that the decision had nothing to do with James himself. Rather, the Rockets and Udoka thought that VanVleet would be a much better fit alongside the Rockets’ young stars. Udoka talked about how they needed their youngsters to get the ball more, something that would have been hampered with Harden on the roster. The comments were reported by ESPN’s Zach Lowe and posted on Twitter by Basketball on X.
Ime Udoka justifies Houston Rockets’ decision to sign Fred VanVleet over James Harden
The Philadelphia 76ers have to date failed to find a favorable package for James Harden. That, in part, is due to the controversies that have surrounded the player in recent times.
Still, Harden is utterly talented, and one of the best scorers in the NBA, at his best. The problem, according to Udoka, was with respect to his fit alongside the Rockets’ young core that comprises stars such as Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore, and Jabari Smith Jr. Udooka logically thinks that having Harden alongside them would mean less time on the ball for his talented youngsters:
“Nothing against James, but Fred is just a better fit. I coached James in Brooklyn. He’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever been around. The words ‘Ime doesn’t want James’ never came out of my mouth. It was, ‘Let’s look at the best fit.’ If we want Jalen and the young guys to take the next steps, we need them to have the ball. As for me saying I don’t want James, that was never the case. It was about fit.”
Houston Ime Udoka on why they signed Fred VanVleet over James Harden
“Nothing against James, but Fred is just a better fit. I coached James in Brooklyn. He’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever been around. The words ‘Ime doesn’t want James’ never came out of my mouth. It was,… pic.twitter.com/zGUarXyyRC
— BASKETBALL ON (@BasketballOnX) October 5, 2023
In this sense, Fred VanVleet, known for his playmaking and defensive skills, might rightly allow better development of the Rockets’ other stars. Hence, while Harden might have had off-court issues, it seems as if the Rockets’ decision was simply based on their existing team, rather than Harden’s obvious talent.
Stephen A. Smith claims James Harden talked himself out of max contract
The reason Harden had extended his contract with the 76ers was that he was looking for a max extension. While that was initially promised by Daryl Morey, the 76ers have not managed to find a package good enough for them to accede to a trade.
At the same time, while Rockets could have been his next team, Smith claimed that it was his own claims that got him rejected. Harden apparently told Udoka that he wanted to return to become the league’s scoring champion.
While he might have the talent to do that, Harden has not shown the consistent form that he needs in order to achieve that. Furthermore, his intention meant that Udoka would have been forced to build a team around Harden, rather than taking his existing core to the next level. In this way, Smith believes that Harden has got himself to blame for his failed move to the Rockets.
