James Harden told Rockets he was open to trade to 76ers or other contenders

Has James Harden played his last game as a Houston Rocket? It appears to be a very real possibility, as the former MVP reportedly gave his long time team a "mandate" this offseason to "either build a championship team around him or get him to a situation where he could achieve that." 

And it seems that adding John Wall was not enough to convince Harden to stick around, as he has been holding out of the team's training camp and reportedly told the team that he would be open to being traded to a contender, such as the Philadelphia 76ers.

On paper, the 76ers make sense as a landing spot for Harden. Daryl Morey, an outspoken Harden admirer, left the Rockets after last season and was quickly named the president of basketball operations for Philadelphia. The 76ers have a variety of possible trade pieces, and it appears that everyone other than Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid is on the table. But the Rockets are apparently unwilling to trade Harden to the 76ers due to their former general manager now running that team.

The Rockets would likely have no shortage of suitors if they make Harden available, but the big question is if a team will be able to match their asking price. If Houston gets rid of Harden, it is essentially committing to a rebuild, so they are likely going to want several young players and possibly a bevy of draft picks in order to feel comfortable making a trade.

Of course, there is also the possibility that the Rockets simply decide to do nothing and hope that Harden plays, as he still has several years left on his contract.