Houston Rockets head coach Stephen Silas deferred when asked about James Harden's commitment to the NBA franchise amid trade rumours. (More Sports News)
Harden reportedly wants to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets, where he would reunite with former Oklahoma City Thunder team-mate Kevin Durant and team up with Kyrie Irving.
Talk of Harden's future has been further amplified after Russell Westbrook was dealt to the Washington Wizards in exchange for John Wall on Wednesday.
Harden was absent from Houston's first practice of training camp on Sunday due to coronavirus protocols, and Silas fielded questions regarding the former MVP.
"That's a question you're going to have to ask him when he gets here," Silas said on Sunday after being quizzed on the Rockets star's commitment.
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"We're looking forward to having him here and getting to his individual workout. That's the word I heard from the pipeline. Once he gets here, obviously the best communication for me would be face-to-face communication – not text, not phone, not anything else.
"I'm looking forward to him getting here, getting in the building, and then we can talk about what's best. But you know, that's kind of a work in progress right now."
In 2019-20, points scored by Harden and points scored off his assists averaged 52.4 per game. It followed 53.9 in 2018-19, 51.3 in 2017-18 and 56 the season previous.
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That marked four successive seasons with 50-plus points per game created, tying Oscar Robertson (1963-64 to 1966-67) for the longest streak in NBA history.
Harden averaged 34.3 points, 7.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game for the Rockets, who lost in the Western Conference semi-finals at Walt Disney World Resort.
"I'm not exactly sure what hoops he has to jump through in order to practice with the team," said first-year coach Silas.
"I would just say I want him here, and I want him to be a big part of what we're doing. I'm excited to coach him and have him be a part of what we just had out there with a good practice, with a bunch of guys who are working hard on both ends of the floor and had a good vibe about them."
The Rockets will open their 2020-21 season against the Thunder on December 23, following preseason clashes with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs.
