Rockets' Russell Westbrook: Report on James Harden Drama 'Completely Fabricated'

Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook took to Instagram on Thursday night to shoot down a report that he and James Harden no longer want to play together. 

ESPN posted a report from First Take's Stephen A. Smith that read: "Russell Westbrook and James Harden don't want to play with each other anymore."

Westbrook responded in the comments (h/t The Athletic's Alykhan Bijani), saying: "It's my birthday, but I should say. This is completely fabricated. Y'all have a good night."

Westbrook, who turned 32 on Thursday, was acquired by the Rockets last offseason in a trade that sent point guard Chris Paul and two protected first-round draft picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

That power move didn't necessarily pay big dividends for the Rockets, as they went 44-28 and were eliminated in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, which is exactly when they were eliminated the previous year.

As expected, both Harden and Westbrook were supremely productive. Harden was an MVP candidate with 34.3 points, 7.5 assists, 6.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game, while Westbrook averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.6 steals.

Houston's biggest issue was the fact that it didn't receive enough production from its supporting cast and it had to go smaller than any other team down the stretch after trading center Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks.

After the Rockets were unable to get over the hump, they parted ways with head coach Mike D'Antoni and general manager Daryl Morey this offseason, replacing them with Stephen Silas and Rafael Stone, respectively.

D'Antoni and Morey were committed to a fast-paced, analytical approach, but it is unclear if Silas and Stone share the same vision. If they don't, the duo of Harden and Westbrook may not last much longer in Houston.

The Rockets will have some tough decisions to make between now and the start of the 2020-21 season on Dec. 22. They could either stick with Harden and Westbrook and attempt to add talent around them via free agency or trade, or they could send one or both of them packing and start fresh.

Both Harden and Westbrook have huge contracts, so trading them won't be easy, although many teams would likely love to have Harden.

A Westbrook trade would be a trickier endeavor, as ESPN's Brian Windhorst expressed his belief that there isn't much interest in Westbrook league-wide because of the three years and $133 million remaining on his deal.

Ultimately, the Rockets may have no viable choice other than to run it back with Harden and Russ, and Westbrook made it clear Thursday that he and Harden would be just fine with that.