The Houston Rockets pulled out a must-win against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, but they’re still not in control of their own fate when it comes to the playoffs. A team that made a scrappy run to the Western Conference Finals last season now finds themselves going into a very desperate offseason.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey hasn’t been shy about going after big fish free agents, but has yet to land another perennial piece to be the glue between James Harden and Dwight Howard. Calvin Watkins of ESPN writes that Harden will have this summer’s big fish free agent in his recruiting sights:
The Rockets’ best player and leading scorer will become the main recruiter this summer in the franchise’s quest to sign Kevin Durant, whom Harden played with for three seasons in Oklahoma City.
The Rockets front office has talked to Harden about recruiting, and Harden is ready to play his part.
“In order to put yourself as an elite team, you always got to have talent, right?” Harden said while not addressing Durant specifically. “You always got to get better and find ways to improve. That’s any team.”
Dwight Howard is also a free agent this summer. His future in Houston might be considered questionable, as he’s looking to sign a max contract. If the Rockets were to have a shot at Durant, they’d surely rather use that max money for him.
That is assuming that Durant has any interest in Houston, let alone leaving Oklahoma City. So far he’s shown no indication of wanting to up and leave, but he’d obviously only consider leaving for another contender, which would be the case instantly if he were to team back up with Harden.
Harden won’t be alone in his recruiting efforts, as Rockets veteran Jason Terry has experience in the field:
“I’m more of an aggressive recruiter,” Terry said. “If I know that we’re targeting you, I’m coming right to you. I will get your phone number. I will do whatever it takes. I will talk to you after the game to let you know if you’re free and available, we’d love to have you.”
Durant’s options are wide open, but the outcome won’t be clear until we see how the Oklahoma City Thunder perform in the playoffs. Harden would need to deliver a major pitch to convince Durant to join another Western Conference team. The Rockets might not otherwise have a chance, but Harden gives them one, no matter how slim.
