Houston Rockets superstar James Harden reportedly wants to leave the franchise due to Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta’s support for President Donald Trump.
According to Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher, Ferttita’s ties to Trump and the Republican Party have created a divide in the organization.
Bucher explained the problem for Houston on The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker.
“I immediately thought this was Daryl Morey leaving, and Mike D’Antoni leaving, and Russell Westbrook and James Harden going, ‘No offense to Stephen Silas or Rafael Stone, but we don’t want a starter kit, we’re playing for a championship,'” said Bucher. “No matter how much you regard Stephen Silas or Stone, these guys are brand new at the job, and what’s our expectation that they’re going to be able to make the moves necessary for us to leapfrog the [Los Angeles] Lakers. But what I heard is — and we know how much politics and political position had to do with the boycott and protests during the Bubble — I’m hearing that Tilman Fertitta’s strong Republican support and donations is one of the things that is contributing to this dissatisfaction, and those two (Westbrook and Harden) are not the only ones to want out of Houston. Lesser players are of the same mind. There is a revolt here because they look at Fertitta as a guy who supports the current president.”
It seems that Houston’s entire roster, including Harden, is not a fan of Fertitta right now.
With Joe Biden now the country’s President-elect, it will be interesting to see if Fertitta is able to mend the broken bond within the organization.
If not, it seems more and more likely that Harden and Westbrook could be on their way out with a trade.
