Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and James Harden being on the same team is something you can only imagine in the realm of video games. But as it turns out, Golden State had an idea of making this happen in real life.
The Athletic’s NBA Insider Shams Charania recently made an appearance on Complex’s Load Management podcast and revealed that the Warriors were one of the teams that contacted the Houston Rockets when it became obvious that Harden wants to play elsewhere.
According to Charania, the talks took place before Thompson suffered an Achilles injury that will rule him out for the second season in a row. After this, Golden State dropped out of the race for Harden.
Even if Thompson had remained healthy, it is unclear whether the Warriors could’ve given the Rockets an attractive enough offer. Houston is reportedly asking for a ransom type of a deal for their All-Star, and Golden State clearly doesn’t have enough assets to come even close.
James Harden reportedly told the Rockets’ brass that he wanted out last month, citing his wishes to play for a team that can compete for a championship. Harden’s preferred destination is reportedly the Brooklyn Nets, where he would team up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
So far, Houston has been resisting to let Harden go, and they expect to see him in training camp. What happens after remains to be seen.
