NBA Trade Rumors: John Wall confident James Harden will stay with Houston Rockets despite the superstar missing Day 1 of training camp

Houston Rockets superstar James Harden has been in the spotlight of NBA trade rumors since the offseason began. The Rockets have been in turmoil ever since 3-time scoring champion requested a trade and subsequently turned down the largest contract in league history.

In the days that followed, the NBA fraternity learned that Harden was actually pushing for a move to the Brooklyn Nets. Even though in the last few days, NBA trade rumors surrounding the 31-year-old have died down a bit, all doesn't seem to be well in the Houston Rockets training camp.

James Harden missed the first day of Rockets training camp, despite being seen at a Houston nightclub the past two nights. Harden was seen with hip-hop artist Lil' Baby as late as 1 A.M. in downtown Houston on December 3rd and 4th, where he gifted Lil' Baby over $400,000 worth of jewelry for his birthday.

James Harden at Lil Baby’s birthday party with his 4PF chain 💎 pic.twitter.com/e2C1TnIj9U

— Hot Freestyle (@HotFreestyle) December 4, 2020

NBA Trade Rumors: John Wall eager to get on the court with James Harden

Washington Wizards v Detroit Pistons

John Wall, who was traded to Houston in exchange for Russell Westbrook, has been vocal about wanting to play with Harden. Wall claims to be close with former league MVP, and feels he will be playing alongside him come the start of next season.

When John Wall asked in a press conference about pairing up with James Harden, he had this to say,

“For sure. That was the main reason why, talking thru the whole process of what was gonna happen with this trade if it happened or did not happen, is one of the reasons that...”

The story underneath all of these NBA trade rumors is Rockets new Head Coach Stephen Silas, who has inherited quite the dosage of offseason drama. Silas, when asked of Harden's whereabouts today at the Rockets' practice facility, he gave a seemingly-irritated response:

Stephen Silas on James Harden's commitment to the Rockets: "That's a question you're going to have to ask him when he gets here."

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 6, 2020

The Houston Rockets report James Harden's absence is a NBA Coronavirus protocol issue, which likely has to do with his appearances at Houston night clubs. Harden missed a full week of voluntary workouts with the Rockets last week, despite being seen at the University of Houston's facilities, and will likely continue to miss team events while under these COVID protocols.

Houston Rockets v Los Angeles Lakers - Game Five

A great level of uncertainty has surrounded the Houston Rockets and James Harden this offseason, and as the preseason continues to sneak up on teams, it may be time to make a decision. Will one of the leagues most prolific scorers be wearing new colors this year? The answer is still far from clear.

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