The Miami Heat is no longer involved in the James Harden sweepstakes.
On the eve of the 2020-21 NBA season, the Heat is no longer actively pursuing a trade with the Houston Rockets for their superstar, a league source with direct knowledge of the situation told the Miami Herald.
The Heat has been on Harden’s list of preferred trade destinations since earlier this month, The Athletic reported Dec. 10. Harden has asked the Rockets to trade him and the All-Star is reportedly hoping to land with the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks or Miami.
The Heat checked in with Houston and there were preliminary discussions between the two teams on a possible trade, but talks did not advance.
Just days prior to the start of the 2018-19 NBA season, Miami also ended trade discussions with the Minnesota Timberwolves regarding a move for Jimmy Butler. The 76ers ultimately traded for Butler before the forward found his way to Miami in the summer of 2019.
The Heat, like most teams, prefer to start the season without trade rumors hanging over the locker room. Miami opens the regular season Wednesday against the Magic in Orlando, and Butler insists the trade rumors have not been a distraction.
“Zero,” the All-Star said. “We’re in here working. We don’t listen to the outside noise. You can’t help but to hear about it, somebody else is asking you about it. You can’t control any of that. We’re locked in on us. We control what we can control and we leave all of that other stuff up to everybody else.”
The Rockets, understandably, have a steep asking price for Harden, who won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2018 and has been an All-NBA selection seven times. Houston’s “steep asking price of young players and draft picks hasn’t moved any of their discussions into an advanced stage,” ESPN reported Thursday.
Miami has a wealth of young talent — guards Kendrick Nunn, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson all thrived as rookies or second-year players last season — but, at least for now, trade conversations have stalled between the two playoff teams.
