NBA Rumors: James Harden Tried To Get Dwight Howard Traded, Pushed For Kevin McHale Firing

Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

After reaching the Western Conference Finals last year, the Houston Rockets have quickly become arguably the most disappointing team in the NBA this season. The team fired head coach Kevin McHale after a 4-7 start and Houston has been on a rocky path ever since.

Apparently, superstar James Harden may have played a significant role in McHale’s firing. Harden may have also been the main reason for the trade rumors circulating the league about his star teammate Dwight Howard.

According to Ken Berger of CBS Sports, Harden pushed for McHale to get fired and for Howard to get dealt before the NBA trade deadline last week:

Multiple league sources told CBS Sports that Harden pushed management to dump McHale, and has since angled for the Rockets to trade Howard. Rockets GM Daryl Morey delivered on the first demand, but was unable to find a suitable deal for Howard at the trade deadline this month.

At this point, the Rockets are headed in the wrong direction after arguably their best season since winning back-to-back titles with Hakeem Olajuwon as the face of the franchise. Houston has lost seven of their last 10 games and is currently out of the playoff picture in the West with a record of 28-29.

Along with potentially missing the playoffs this season, the Rockets may end up losing their star center in the NBA offseason. Dwight will hit the free agent market in July with all indications that he’ll leave the team in free agency.

Despite the Rockets currently out of the postseason, if the playoffs started today, Houston is still considered a threat to advance to the NBA Finals. The Rockets have 45/1 odds to come out of the West this year, according to Sportsbook.ag.

It’ll be interesting to see whether this team can come together in the final stretch of the regular season to make into the playoffs with all the internal turmoil within the organization.