Ime Udoka Reportedly Halted James Harden-Rockets Offseason Reunion

Ime Udoka apparently had no interest in bringing in 10-time NBA All-Star James Harden to headline his otherwise up-and-coming Houston Rockets roster.

Harden, who requested to be traded by the Philadelphia 76ers on June 29, had been connected to the Rockets even before his trade request. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Christmas Day that Harden, who had a player option for the 2023-24 season, was “seriously considering” a return to Houston when free agency started.

However, suitors for Harden now include the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks — not the Rockets. According to Heavy’s Steve Bulpett, Udoka played a key factor in that.

“From everything we’ve gotten out of there, it was a matter that Ime didn’t want him,” a league source told Heavy Sports. “At the beginning, were they thinking about Harden? Yeah. But then they hired Ime, and Ime said, ‘It’s not going to work here.'”

Udoka was hired by Houston at the start of the NBA offseason. Udoka previously was let go by the Boston Celtics after initially being suspended for the 2022-23 campaign due to violations of team policy, which reportedly stemmed from Udoka having an improper relationship with a female subordinate.

Harden picked up his $36 million player option for the 2023-24 campaign, meaning his next team will absorb that one-year deal.

The Rockets started free agency with a different organization-building move, as Houston signed guard Fred VanVleet to a three-year deal worth $130 million.