[Woj] Rockets are expanding trade discussions on Harden

https://www.tsn.ca/radio/toronto-1050/jonathan-feigen-on-the-latest-with-james-harden-1.1566077

Feigen:

What happened this offseason? What upset Harden so much?

It’s not a factor as much as the window has come and gone, it has passed. He’s 31. He wants to chase a championship. There’s more of a sense of it’s not going to happen here. If it hadn’t happened yet, it wasn’t going to. Once he expressed that, he can dig in his heels. That’s how he is. OK, I said it, that’s it, do it. That’s how it was with the trade for Westbrook. I said it, you agreed, which the Rockets did-it’s not like he forced them to-then do it! OK, now! It wasn’t “OK the coach I really liked left, I want out” or “The GM that empowered me is gone so I can’t stay here.” It’s a sense of all those things indicating time is up. I have a better chance winning a championship elsewhere.

Do you think there’s a level of self awareness in Harden to know he’s part of the reason why the team is in the place it is? His power, his influence on players & coaches that come and go, the whole offense is based around him. Do you think he has any self awareness?

He has great self awareness as a player on the court. In regard to what your describing, his influence on the team and it not working, no. I don’t think he has great self awareness. I don’t think he takes responsibility or has a great understanding of the way things work. You don’t get it just because you want it. The whole Chris Paul thing where people said he wanted Paul out. Yeah it was very uncomfortable, it wasn’t a good mix at the end but he really really wanted Westbrook in. He at one point said you don’t have to necessarily trade Paul to bring in Westbrook. That makes no sense. You can’t do it any other way. Same thing with this. It’s just do it. I said I want it so do it. It doesn’t really work that way. You don’t get it because you declare it. I don’t think he has a great deal of self awareness about those matters.

From the outside, his actions from the past week seem petulant, unprofessional, selfish, diva, whatever you want to use. That’s from the outside. Are we outsiders missing anything here?

The actions you are describing are all of those things. The strange thing has been since he started practicing and the two games he’s played, he looks really engaged. I’ve talked to two different people who are at practices because we can’t see them, he’s listening, he’s asking questions, he’s describing where or when players move to interact with what he does in PnR or other movements and you can see it during games. You’re putting in this much interest while planning to leave? It doesn’t make sense but it’s a good thing for the Rockets to see. Last night, he seem engaged. ... It’s a very strange dynamic of this guy who wants out who’s acting like he’s not going anywhere even though there’s a really good chance he is.

Does Harden last the season? Does he have a change of heart?

I don’t think he’s going to have a reawakening. This is a team revamped with a new coach, new system, new players, it’s a team in the Western Conference where every night is a challenge. Will they win so much he says I want to live again? I don’t see that. There’s a path for this team to be good but it depends on like 5 things coming through. John Wall & DeMarcus Cousins being healthy and durable and at their level, Eric Gordon getting his shot back, Christian Wood showing last year was not an aberration and stepping up defensively and Harden embracing the situation. If all those things happen, they could be good and then Harden says this is where I want to be. That’s a lot of things that have to go right. More likely is they keep working and find a trade they really like and get it done. When can they get the best return? Now, trade deadline or offseason and it feels like you get more return at the deadline. It could be like the Wall-Westbrook trade. Nothing was happening for weeks. The teams talked, knew what the other needed. They weren’t even talking and then it all came together in a couple hours one afternoon. That’s possible now too. In a lot of ways, that’s how the Westbrook-Paul trade happened also. Even though it took 6 days, it happened on a Thursday. Tuesday night, Morey was completely convinced and told the owner it’s not happening. By Thursday it got done. That could happen here but for the best return, closer to the trade deadline.