Who will be the next NBA star to try and force a trade?

5. James Harden

To be clear: I don’t expect James Harden to ask for a trade this season and neither should you. The Rockets were arguably the third or fourth best team in the league last year, and as of July 1, they were still considered a top-five favorite to win it all next season.

In terms of the perception the outside world has of Houston though, it couldn’t get much different than this time a year ago, when many people thought the Rockets were a Chris Paul hammy away from a title. Now, Paul may or may not have asked for a trade following Houston’s elimination in round two, and Mike D’Antoni is still a lame duck coach.

Throw in the fact that several Western teams (the Lakers and Jazz most notably) have made significant improvements, and it no longer seems like a guarantee the Rockets get out of the first round. Perhaps they knew this when they made their entire roster available in an attempt to enter the fray for Jimmy Butler. Oh well.

Meanwhile, Harden’s four-year contract extension kicks in next year. It would be unprecedented for a player to demand a trade with so many years remaining, but then again, so was whatever the hell Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard did at the time those sagas occurred.

If the Rockets somehow get bounced in the first or even the second round in 2020, this officially becomes a thing to watch.