Inside Story of Harden’s Trade: He Intended to Return to Houston, But Rockets Showed No Interest in Advancing the Deal

On February 7th Beijing time, ESPN’s renowned reporter Shelburne published a detailed article revealing the inside story of Harden’s trade. He also disclosed that Harden was willing to return to Houston, but the Rockets showed little interest in the former MVP and did not push the trade forward. Below is the full report by Shelburne—

On Tuesday afternoon (local time), Tyronn Lue smiled when he saw James Harden at the Los Angeles Clippers training center. At that moment, only a few hours remained before the team would trade the 36-year-old, 11-time All-Star to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Darius Garland and a second-round draft pick.

Everyone in the training facility, including Harden himself, knew the trade was imminent. Yet he still wore the Clippers training gear, receiving treatment from the trainer while completing drills alongside several teammates.

“Usually, players about to be traded don’t experience scenes like this,” Tyronn Lue told ESPN in an interview. “But we all really like James… so I walked over to the training table and joked with him. I said, ‘You’re really something,’ which is his catchphrase — ‘something’ — and he immediately laughed.”

“We will all miss him. Of course, first and foremost, we’ll miss his performance on the court, but even more, we’ll miss his personality.”

Unlike Harden’s previous high-profile departures,this parting was quite dignified. There were no trade demands or dramatic scenes, nor did he languish in a “cold bench” as he had during his time with the Rockets, Nets, or 76ers.

Before leaving the training facility on Tuesday, Harden even said goodbye individually to many team staff and players.

This separation was a mutual understanding and a candid acknowledgment. Both Harden and the team recognized that the Clippers’ hot streak since Christmas — boasting a 71% win rate and leading the league — was unlikely to last. The Clippers era, which began in 2019 when Kawhi Leonard joined as a free agent followed by Paul George via trade, had effectively come to an end.

During Harden’s two-plus seasons with the Clippers, he played 72 and 79 games respectively in the first two seasons; this season, he appeared in 44 of the team’s first 47 games, sitting out only the last two after trade talks began. The team initially brought him in hoping he would cover for the injury-prone George and Leonard. However, like Harden’s previous trio with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, this “big three” never maintained enough health and availability.

Now, among the three in Los Angeles, Leonard might be the most physically fragile.

“Obviously, luck plays a crucial role in this league,” Leonard said Wednesday night. “Shooting rhythm, injuries, everything depends on luck. That’s the reality. I wanted to give it another try, but things didn’t go as planned, and we have to accept the current situation.”

When asked whether he felt any regret about the era ending, especially after the team’s recent winning streak, Leonard just shrugged.“Compared to outside expectations? ... It’s all over,” he said. “The guys have all left.”

The end of Harden’s Clippers tenure was actually foreshadowed last summer. The team informed Harden that given his age of 36 and their desire to maintain salary cap flexibility starting this summer, they could not offer him a contract exceeding the current season’s $39.2 million.

Sources close to Harden revealed that he believed his performance last season — averaging 22.8 points, 8.7 assists, and 5.8 rebounds per game, plus making the All-NBA Third Team — had reaffirmed his All-Star level,and that he deserved a contract renewal comparable to Jimmy Butler’s — Butler, who is the same age, had previously signed a two-year, $111 million deal with the Warriors.

Nevertheless, Harden still wanted to play in his hometown Los Angeles and believed the Clippers roster had championship potential, so he accepted the new contract offer. In the second year of that deal, he was to earn $42.3 million, but only $13.8 million of that was guaranteed.

Harden had planned that if the team performed well, the Clippers might fully guarantee the second year of his contract.Additionally, the contract included a player option and gave him the right to veto any trade, serving as a form of protection.

However, the Clippers soon fell into trouble both on and off the court. Beyond the longstanding salary cap violation issues, the team faced self-inflicted problems, including a public fallout with team legend Chris Paul.

The losses kept piling up and pressure mounted. By December 20th, the Clippers’ record stood at 6-21, tied with the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers, ranking only above the New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards.

According to sources involved in the negotiations, it was from this point thatteams around the league began calling the Clippers to inquire about the trade possibilities for three attractive players— Harden, Leonard, and center Ivica Zubac. Zubac was traded to the Pacers on Thursday in exchange for former lottery pick Chris Duarte, Isaiah Jackson, and two first-round draft picks.

Meanwhile, Harden’s agent team proactively contacted various teams to assess potential destinations, aiming to get ahead of the swirling trade rumors.

Sources say Harden had interest in returning to the Houston Rockets. This trade appeared logical since the Rockets’ starting point guard Fred VanVleet suffered a season-ending ACL tear before the season. But surprisingly, the Rockets showed little enthusiasm for the former MVP of their franchise.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, however, expressed strong interest. The Cavaliers eagerly anticipated Harden’s arrival to energize their two star big men, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, while relieving scoring pressure from their key shooting guard Donovan Mitchell.

While Harden and the Clippers aimed to push hard for the playoffs, the Cavaliers evaluated their current roster’s championship potential, causing the trade talks between the two teams to stall temporarily.

Ultimately, both sides had to face reality: the Clippers’ championship window had closed, and the Cavaliers’ current roster was not yet championship caliber.

Sources reveal that as the trade deadline approached last week, negotiations accelerated sharply. Harden missed the Sunday game against the Phoenix Suns and Monday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers as talks intensified.

The team officially cited “personal reasons” for Harden’s absence — a common euphemism when handling players about to be traded. This message sent a clear signal across the league: despite the Clippers’ recent momentum, Harden was officially on the trade block.

On Sunday evening, Harden appeared courtside at his alma mater Arizona State University, watching their game against the top-ranked University of Arizona. Meanwhile, his Clippers teammates were battling the Suns about 20 minutes away, reinforcing the credibility of the trade rumors.

By Monday, the entire league buzzed with news of Harden’s sudden involvement in the trade whirlwind. This made the atmosphere at the Clippers’ home game against the 76ers somewhat tense — this kind of “weird” was not the “weird” Harden usually joked about.

Players from both the Clippers and 76ers openly discussed on the court that Harden might leave before the trade deadline.When news of the trade talks with the Cavaliers broke during the game, players were even seen openly debating the matter on the floor.

However, the players’ conversations extended beyond this topic. After months of silence, the NBA’s investigation into the Clippers’ salary cap violations resurfaced as a hot issue. The league is examining whether the team circumvented salary cap rules by using endorsement deals between a former sponsor and Leonard, and the latest developments or final ruling in this case have kept many on edge.

Although sources close to Harden deny that the potential consequences of this investigation influenced his decision to accept a trade, the league-wide attention on the outcome is an undisputed fact.

Harden learned on Tuesday that the trade was very likely to happen, and he had decided not to exercise his veto right once the deal was officially proposed.

“This trade is a win-win for both sides,” Harden told ESPN. “I don’t want to be an obstacle to the Clippers’ future development. I hope the team can truly have a chance to rebuild and acquire some draft assets.”

“In Cleveland, I see an opportunity to compete for the Eastern Conference title. They have a very strong team and coaching staff with a well-rounded setup. So, although I really want to keep fighting in Los Angeles — after all, I have never won a championship — from a basketball professional’s perspective, I believe our chances to win a title are greater with the Cavaliers.”

Harden admitted he will always wonder: if Leonard and George had stayed healthy through the playoffs, would his story in Los Angeles have ended differently?

“Life isn’t just about basketball. When a relationship can no longer continue, there are many dignified ways to say goodbye without turning into enemies,” Harden said. “Maybe it’s because we both realized our futures no longer align; perhaps we’ve simply grown apart.”

Harden sees a bright future in Cleveland, while the Clippers believe acquiring 26-year-old two-time All-Star Garland gives them a better path forward, and the Cavaliers are convinced their championship moment should start now.