The dominoes that had to fall to open up the possibility of Russell Westbrook and James Harden reuniting in Houston are innumerable and go back possibly half a decade. The most immediate, however, was Kawhi Leonard’s work behind the scenes in free agency to find another superstar to play with in Los Angeles with the Clippers.
The Clippers made a move for Paul George, essentially fast-forwarding the Thunder rebuild efforts. This opened up the door for the Rockets to ship off Chris Paul for Westbrook — but this may not have happened if the Clippers were able to make a trade for Harden before the George deal.
According to The Athletic, the Clippers inquired with the Rockets about potentially trading for Harden as they explored options that would entice Leonard to choose them over the Raptors and the Lakers.
As the Clippers surveyed the NBA scene, it wasn’t yet clear whom they could pair with the 2019 Finals MVP. They analyzed and studied every roster and star player in the league, attempting to find out who would best fit alongside Leonard, both on the hardwood and from a personality standpoint.
The Clippers inquired about Washington’s Bradley Beal and Houston’s James Harden, according to league sources, but neither star was available.
Naturally, the Rockets weren’t looking to move the only guy who has finished in the Top 2 of MVP voting in each of the last four seasons who just recording the single-best scoring season since Michael Jordan in the late 80s.
Had it worked out, though, it would have been interesting to see which of the Clippers young players the Rockets could have started a new era around. And with Harden hailing from Los Angeles, it would have been just as fascinating a story as the move for George.
