With the clock ticking down until the NBA Trade Deadline at noon PST, it's time to review the biggest rumors surrounding the Houston Rockets after an early-afternoon trade which saw Donatas Motiejunas and Marcus Thornton shipped off to the Detroit Pistons for Joel Anthony and a protected first-round pick.
No Movement On Dwight Howard Trade
According to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski, Houston has not found a workable match in trade talks surrounding Dwight Howard with the minutes ticking down until the deadline:
Still time until 3 PM ET deadline, but Houston has no significant traction on a trade for Dwight Howard, league sources tell @TheVertical
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) February 18, 2016
Howard, Harden At Odds?
NBA.com's Fran Blinebury reports that following Houston's first-round loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2014, Harden was trying to get the front office to trade Howard - and Howard was also trying to get the Rockets to trade Harden.
For three seasons with Harden and Howard, the Rockets have lacked leadership on the court and are not seen by opponents as a team that works hard. Both want the perks and trappings of being the big dog pulling the wagon, but neither will do the real work. Howard smiles and says everybody should keep positive thoughts. Harden shrugs his head and goes back to seeking his next 40-point game.
Howard and Harden have been an oil-and-water mix since they came together for the 2012-13 season. It was only days after Damian Lillard's 3-point dagger eliminated them in the first round of their first playoff series together when both were sending out messages and maneuvering to get the other one traded.
The Rockets obviously rebounded to make the Western Conference Finals in 2015, but an extremely disappointing first half of the season resulted in the firing of head coach Kevin McHale - and several more changes coming.
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