Kevin Durant’s move this NBA free agency continues to be held under wraps but there are teams which are slowly being crossed out. The latest team rumored is the Houston Rockets where such a move would reunited the one-time NBA MVP with his old buddy James Harden.
Marc Stein of ESPN issued a report that the Rockets are unlikely to hold good chances of snagging Durant despite the fact that Houston has shown fondness on the sweet-shooting forward.
The Rockets, league sources say, are not a team Kevin Durant plans to consider in free agency, despite Houston's well-known fondness for him
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 10, 2016
The rocky state of the Rockets could be a reason. The team didn’t exactly have a good start this season and even saw the surprise dismissal of Kevin McHale. J.B. Bickerstaff took over but the change hardly mattered with the Rockets struggling all season-long.
Other than that, there is the case of Dwight Howard who is more than likely to play elsewhere next season. Howard has been a far cry of himself since moving over from the Los Angeles Lakers. The Rockets tried to move the 6-foot-11 center in February but failed.
That planned (and botched) trade is seen as the last straw, capped by the fact that Howard has failed to get along with Harden.
While Harden and Durant have been known as good friends, such is no guarantee that both can hum the way they did when the ‘bearded one’ was still with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Harden had a so-so 2015-16 NBA season, attributed to his off-court life that is tied up with celebrity Khloe Kardashian.
On the court, he was hardly impressive as well. He was criticized for playing poorly and wasn’t the same breakout star from the previous season.
With those in play, it is hard to see Durant wanting to join an unstable team next season.
For the Rockets, all is not totally lost right now. Their chances may have diminished but they can still try and pitch to Durant, the same scenario for teams hoping to land the former NBA Most Valuable Player.
