5 trades to land James Harden a co-star on the Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are an intriguing team. For the past few seasons, the Rockets have been entrenched in a rebuild, constantly at the bottom of the league standings.

Ever since James Harden left Houston in favor of the Brooklyn Nets, who he promptly left just a season-and-a-half later, the Rockets have been unable to put a winning product on the floor.

Now, not long after his exit, it seems inevitable that Harden ends up back in a Rockets uniform this summer. According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, “the belief among NBA executives is that James Harden will rejoin the Houston Rockets this summer.”

However, if and when Harden does head back to Houston, the team will have to attempt to put a winning product around him. One of the best ways to do that could be to trade for a second star.

5 trades to land James Harden a co-star on the Houston Rockets

The Rockets will have some cap space, so they could potentially sign some help that way, but they also have plenty of valuable assets to send out in a trade.

First and foremost, the Rockets landed the fourth-overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Obviously, most believe there is a clear-cut top three (Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, and Brandon Miller), but Houston’s pick is still very valuable. And if they are serious about competing with Harden, it could definitely be put on the table.

According to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, the Rockets have also explored the idea of trading Jalen Green for an established veteran star, so he could be thrown into trade ideas, too.

With all that in mind, here are five potential trades to land Harden a co-star on the Rockets.