NBA Trade Rumors: James Harden wanted out after Houston Rockets hired Stephen Silas

There can be various reasons why James Harden potentially wants out of the Houston Rockets. For starters, the roster never felt like it was good enough for a title run and that'll be the case for the 2020-21 season as well. Perhaps it's the personnel changes that tipped Harden off. Today's NBA trade rumors hint at the same, stating that Harden wasn't too happy with the hiring of Stephen Silas as head coach.

NBA Trade Rumors: Stephen Silas' appointment as head coach of Houston Rockets made James Harden mull his options

As reported by Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY, an anonymous source has claimed that the decision to hire Stephen Silas as head coach wasn't taken well by James Harden. This led to the 2018 NBA MVP considering a trade away from the Houston Rockets. Zillgitt reported:

"All-Star James Harden wanted out of Houston as soon as the Rockets hired Stephen Silas as coach, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. ... Early on in the Rockets’ coaching search, management asked for Harden’s input, and Silas, the son of former NBA player and coach Paul Silas, was not among Harden’s top choices, the person told USA TODAY."

Has Stephen Silas communicated with James Harden since his return to Houston?

"I said hello to him," Silas said.

Harden remains in COVID testing protocol.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 9, 2020

The report may have some truth to it as there seems to be a communication gap between Harden and Silas.

NBA Trade Rumors: Relationship between James Harden and Stephen Silas so far

Stephen Silas will be serving as a head coach for the first time in his career and that may not be the best option for a star looking to win a championship in his prime. However, Silas did mention during one of the media interviews that he received James Harden's endorsement for getting the Houston Rockets' head coaching job.

Stephen Silas on John Wall saying he has been in contact with James Harden and is “100%” confident he’ll play with James this season: “I put stock into it. Coaches and players are different, (have) different relationships. The only relationship that I have with James ... pic.twitter.com/Zv5bjApcjB
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) December 7, 2020

Silas' above statement surely contradicts the report that Harden isn't happy with the hiring decision made by the Houston Rockets management. This is yet another example of the potential disarray within the ranks and may be indicative of the fact that the player and the head coach don't really see eye to eye.

Also read: NBA Trade Rumors - 'Hopefully he'll do it with the Houston Rockets' Tilman Fertitta refuses to give in despite the James Harden debacle