Uduka refuses Harden to return to the Rockets again, he doesn t want to have a cheap salary, and welcomes VanVleet to stay in the team for 100 million

Reed Lehmans, a reporter and editor of the Houston Chronicle, said in an interview that Rockets head coach Amy Uduka said that he had no interest in signing James Harden in the offseason. Uduka made it clear that he hoped that Van Vleet could renew the Rockets with a multi-year contract to maintain the stability of the lineup.

The Rockets won second in the Western Conference in the regular season 52 in the regular season, and lost to the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. This is a hopeful result in disappointment for young teams with an average age of only 24 years old. The Thunder have also experienced the bitterness of growth before becoming the top Western Conference team. For rebuilding teams, it is more important to summarize the lessons learned from failures and upgrade the lineup based on this. The Rockets have a lot of draft picks and salary space, and they are fully qualified to significantly upgrade the team's strength during the offseason. The management is properly operated, so the Rockets are worth looking forward to next season. If the Rockets plan to strengthen the point guard, Harden will be a potential candidate.

Harden spent his peak in his career with the Rockets, playing 79 games with the Clippers this season, contributing 22.8 points, 8.7 assists, 5.8 rebounds and returning to the All-Star Game. Harden has a $36.35 million player option and will jump out of his contract to become a free agent. The total salary on the Rockets' books is only $142 million, which can provide a maximum salary contract for superstars. It is enough to sign Harden back to even just a contract that is slightly lower than the maximum salary. When the reporter asked Rockets head coach Uduka whether he was considering accepting Harden's return to the Rockets, he received a negative answer.

I want VanVleet to return to the team and I welcome VanVleet back to the locker room. "Uduka said in response to whether he wanted to sign Harden, and clearly expressed the position of the Rockets coaching staff, "I think both the Rockets and VanVleet want to stay here, which is also each other's hope. VanVleet is an indispensable part of the Rockets' growth. "In the first seven games of the playoffs, Van Vleet averaged 18.7 points and 4.4 assists, with a shooting percentage of 43%, and a three-point shooting percentage of 43.5% per game. The offensive efficiency is indeed higher than Harden. On a more critical point, Van Vleet does not need to hold the ball for a long time, which is more conducive to the progress and growth of young Rockets players.

Van Vleet's three-year, $123 million contract with the Rockets is about to expire. The Rockets have team options, and before the free agent market opens, they can decide whether to execute Van Vliot's $44.9 million contract for the 2025-26 season. Uduka's statement represents the official idea of ​​the Rockets' management, leaving behind 31-year-old Vliot and giving up the idea of ​​signing 36-year-old Harden. This is the second time Uduka publicly refuses Harden to return to the Rockets. When Harden became a free agent two years ago, he contacted Rafael Stone and hopes to return to the Fire Arrows, at that time, Uduka rejected the signing of Harden and insisted on signing Van Vleet.

In the long run, the Rockets will reject Van Vleet's player option, but the two sides are expected to reach a new three-year, $100 million contract. In this way, the Rockets will have an additional $15 million in salary space and can also strengthen the team with full middle class regulations. Even if Harden only has $100 million in three years. The contract also did not receive support from Uduka. The Rockets were almost certain to stay Van Vliot and obtained a superstar through trade on this basis to fully prepare for the championship next season. Uduka also believes that after entering the playoffs, Van Vliot's performance is more stable than Harden, and whether it helps the Raptors win the championship in 2019 or against the Warriors in the first round of this season, it proves this.

"I like everything Van Vliot does. The combination of the ball when you have the ball in hand and the offense without the ball is perfect. "Uduka continued to explain the reason why he left Van Vleet with a contract extension. Even if Harden returned to the Rockets with a lower contract, he would not consider it. "Van Vleet allows our defenders and young players to grow, and I strongly hope that he can return to the team next season. "It is not difficult to feel from Uduka's speech and statement that he does not like Harden's game style, competitive mentality and struggle. Van Vleet is more suitable for the Rockets' tactical system and is more conducive to the Rockets' truly growing into a team with the ability to win the championship.

From the current situation, as long as Uduka coaches the Rockets, Harden will not have the chance to return to this team that has played for more than eight seasons. Van Vleet has almost no suspense to get the Rockets' contract renewal, and whether Harden can continue to stay in the Clippers and get a satisfactory new contract is still unknown for the time being.