Houston Rockets’ James Harden seen partying in Las Vegas

Houston Rockets’ star James Harden was seen partying in Las Vegas on the eve of the Rockets’ training camp. Could these latest antics lead to his departure?

The Houston Rockets will begin group workouts today with the NBA 2020-2021 regular season scheduled to tip-off later this month. With a shortened offseason due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Rockets are looking to bounce back after their disappointing performance in the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

There are many storylines and questions that surround the Rockets as they embark on a new season, but the elephant in the room remains the team’s disgruntled superstar, James Harden.

it doesn’t look like Harden is seriously committed to continuing his career in Houston

When Harden expressed his desire to play for the Brooklyn Nets earlier in the offseason the NBA world was sent into a frenzy. As training camp slowly crept closer the organization, fans and analysts questioned whether or not James Harden would report to group workouts.

This still remains a mystery given a recent video that was brought to light by the twitter account, @alec_sturm. The video was taken from an Instagram story that shows Harden partying at the Blume Restaurant in Las Vegas last night.

It appears James Harden was partying at the Blume Restaurant in Las Vegas last night with rapper Lil Baby and others.

The Rockets reportedly expect Harden to attend Sunday’s group workouts for training camp.

I have added a thread of video evidence below.

(PC: lildann_1 on IG) pic.twitter.com/Wyj6KOP4tB

— Alec Sturm (@alec_sturm) December 6, 2020

What Hardens’ partying means for his future

The optics of this video do not seem to favor Harden showing up on time to the Houston Rockets training camp as it is set to begin today. Harden appeared to have been practicing at the University of Houston facility recently, which had given the team optimism about his commitment to start the upcoming season with them.

In a pre-COVID world, Harden’s partying in Las Vegas would not be nearly as big a deal. However, given the recent health and safety protocols laid down by the league, Harden will most certainly miss time with the team to quarantine given his exposure to a large group gathering.

Could this video cause Houston’s front office to lose major leverage in a future James Harden trade?

Harden has always had a reputation of being a party guy as there have been videos leaked of him in clubs with other celebrities, however, given his recent actions, it doesn’t look like Harden is seriously committed to continuing his career in Houston. Could this video cause Houston’s front office to lose major leverage in a future James Harden trade and will Harden face a suspension by the league for violating the rules?

As reported by Jonathan Feigen, the Houston Rockets beat writer for the Houston Chronicle, Rockets’ head coach Stephen Silas had chimed in on the Harden rumors having stated that he is giving Harden space and saying that he is confident that Harden “will be all-in.” Things could get ugly in Houston over the James Harden saga, but only time will tell how the situation unfolds.