Steve Bulpett, a reporter for US media Heavy.com, reported that the Rockets were interested in returning James Harden at the beginning of the offseason, but the arrival of new coach Amy Uduka made the team dismiss this idea.
A league source said on the matter: "From everything we've got, that's the problem with Amy [Uduka] not wanting James Harden. In the beginning, did they want to welcome back Harden? Definitely yes, but then they hired Uduka and Uduka said to the team 'this thing doesn't work here'. ”
Not long ago, the Rockets used a three-year, $130 million super top salary to sign guard Fred VanVleet.
The source said: "They finally got a better fit for the team, VanVleet can give them the scoring ability they need, but he won't eat as much of the ball as Harden. ”
"When people look at Harden's assist stats (10.7 assists per game last season, first in the league), they feel like Harden gave it all. But the data comes from his heavy ball possession, and he keeps holding the ball until he thinks there is an opportunity. The Rockets are a young team, and everyone expects them to keep moving the ball and more running without the ball. If you keep running in the open cut as the coach asks you to do and you can barely get the ball in the end, then not many people want to run the open cut anymore. The source said.