NBA Exec: Rockets Will Be Bad Even with James Harden; 'Whole Situation Is Toxic'

As James Harden prepares to make his preseason debut for the Rockets on Tuesday despite a very public trade request, executives from opposing teams are offering their opinion on the season to come in Houston.

"Even if Harden is there, I think Houston is going to be bad. The whole situation is toxic," one Western Conference executive told Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

On the other hand, an Eastern Conference executive thinks Houston will remain in the playoff hunt.

"Houston is going to surprise people when they continue to win a lot despite everyone hating each other," the East exec said.

Harden requested a trade from the Rockets last month, per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski, citing a desire to win a championship. He's targeted the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers as his top suitors, but the Rockets have seemingly made no progress in trade talks.

The situation took an uglier turn when Harden did not show up for the first few days of training camp, instead spending a weekend partying in clubs without a mask in Atlanta and Las Vegas. The NBA required Harden to register six days of negative tests before he could join the Rockets for on-court team work, which he finally did Monday.

While both sides appear committed to playing the situation out in a professional manner, Harden's teammates and coaches have spent weeks answering questions about his status and know he doesn't want to be there. It's a recipe for an awkward-at-best situation, regardless of the professionalism of everyone involved.

It appears unlikely the awkwardness will degenerate into an Anthony Davis-esque standoff where he's essentially kept out of the lineup, but any frustrations that already existed with Harden may bubble over if the Rockets start slowly.