With so much that has gone down in the NBA over the past couple of months, James Harden’s move away from the Houston Rockets now feels like a lifetime away.
Rockets general manager Rafael Stone was recently asked if he holds any regret about letting Harden leave, but at this point, the high-ranking team executive remains adamant that they made the right decision on that front (h/t Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle):
Stone on the Harden deal: “There’s no part of me that regrets doing that deal.” Said he feels the deal should be evaluated in 2030.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) March 29, 2021
For what it’s worth, the Rockets dealt Harden to the Brooklyn Nets on January 13. That was just two and a half months ago, but right now, it honestly feels like much longer.
As for Stone, it is clear that he believes it was the right move for Houston to let Harden walk. In truth, though, it’s not as if they had much choice. The former MVP had already made it abundantly clear that he wanted out of Houston and Harden pretty much did all that he could to force his way out of the team. The Rockets’ only other choice would have been to keep him in Houston against his will, which obviously was not going to be an ideal situation.
It’s interesting to note how Stone seems to be implying that the Harden deal is not going to be beneficial for the Rockets in the short term — that it should be measured in a decade’s time. It is no secret that the Rockets have engaged in a full rebuild, so at this point, Houston fans should probably brace themselves for some pretty dark years ahead.
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