NBA Rumors: Houston Rockets Hold Trade Talks, James Harden Unmoved Despite John Wall Arrival

James Harden remains unconvinced about a long-term future with the Houston Rockets and continues to push for a trade.

The franchise’s top star remains convinced that he has to make a fresh start in order to pursue his dream of winning an NBA championship.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne report that Harden's stance about a trade remains unchanged despite bringing John Wall in from the Washington Wizards.

Wall was hopeful of forming a lethal partnership with Harden following his debut for the team, but that remains just a dream at the moment.

"I think me and James can be a heck of a combination," Wall told reporters after the Rockets' 104-91 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night. "I just hope we get the opportunity to get into the regular season and see how it goes."

The former MVP has nothing personal against Wall, but he is eager to begin with a clean slate elsewhere. Rumors say that Harden willing to be patient and allow the ball club to get maximum value in return if they can engineer a trade.

Harden’s two primary preferred trade destinations remain the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets with whom the Rockets have reportedly held preliminary talks.

The Nets are said to be the shooting guard’s top choice, which would see him reunite with former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Kevin Durant.

However, the preferred squads are unwilling to make a proper offer with the 76ers unwilling to put up one of Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons as part of the trade package, which is key to compel the Rockets to the negotiating table.

Similarly, the Nets are also not making a good offer with the Houston franchise, not interest in striking a deal that involves complementary players and draft picks.

Meanwhile, Harden returned to practice with the Rockets on Monday and is expected to make an appearance when the team takes on San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.

Rockets head coach Stephen Silas confirmed that he sat down with Harden and indicated that he was ‘locked in’ during practice.

“We had a good conversation, and I’m just going to leave it at that,” Silas bared when asked whether he had spoken with Harden about his situation, as quoted on USA Today. “He was locked in. He was asking good questions. He was bringing up good points. So, we had a good discussion.”