The Houston Rockets lured Fred VanVleet away from the Toronto Raptors by signing him to a three-year, $128.5 million contract. With Ime Udoka as head coach, it is evident that the franchise no longer desires to reconstitute. The objective is to instill winning habits while utilizing veterans, such as VanVleet, to bridge the divide between ineffective youth and burgeoning competition.
The arrival of VanVleet in Houston had far-reaching consequences. Beyond the obvious — Houston stronger, Toronto worse — it also affected the Philadelphia 76ers, who appeared to be the Rockets’ primary competition for James Harden in free agency. With Houston out of the running, the path to Harden’s return to Philadelphia abruptly became crystal clear. Before it was not.
Harden was angered by Daryl Morey’s desire for leverage and/or the Sixers’ adherence to the CBA regulations, which prompted him to request a trade. While Harden is currently in camp and playing basketball for the Sixers, it is only a matter of time before he leaves the team.
All of this could have been avoided if the Rockets had targeted Harden for a three- or four-year maximum contract rather than VanVleet. The Sixers would be in an utterly different position, either without Harden or, more likely, making a stronger effort to sign Harden in the face of substantial competition.
So, why did the Rockets decide to leave Harden out to dry? ESPN was informed by Ime Udoka of his preference for VanVleet.
“Nothing against James [Harden], but Fred [VanVleet] is the more suitable candidate. I was James’s instructor in Brooklyn. He is one of the most intelligent players I’ve ever encountered. I never said, “Ime doesn’t want James,” and I never heard anyone else say it. It was, “Let’s consider the optimal fit.” If we want Jalen and the other youthful players to advance, we must give them the ball. It was never the case that I said I didn’t want James. It was about compatibility.”
Ime Udoka clarifies why the Rockets prefer Fred VanVleet over James Harden.
There have been rumors of other factors influencing the Rockets’ decision, so this response from Udoka appears to be purely political. Stephen A. Smith of ESPN cited a source who claimed Harden wanted to return to Houston and pursue a scoring championship, which is not what the Rockets are seeking.
According to Udoka, the objective in Houston is to utilize the veterans to foster the development of a talented youthful core. Harden consumes a great deal of oxygen on offense. He makes his teammates better, make no doubt about it, but he does so by exceedingly ball-dominant methods. If the objective is to get Jalen Green and Amen Thompson up to speed as elite ball-handlers, Harden cannot have complete control over the offense.
VanVleet is a gifted facilitator in his own right — he averaged 7.2 assists per game during the previous season — but he is more versatile off the ball than Harden. There is no reason to believe Harden would go to the same extent to adapt to Green or Thompson as Embiid did. He (correctly) perceives himself as a star, but the Rockets don’t need a star of that caliber right now.
