NBA Rumors: Latest on James Harden Trade Buzz, P.J. Tucker, More

The start of the 2020-21 NBA season is already upon us. A little over two months ago, the Los Angeles Lakers were wrapping up the 2019-20 postseason by beating the Miami Heat in the Finals. Tonight, the Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets will kick off the next title chase.

While the offseason is over, teams are not done making moves. Adjustments will be made all the way through to the trade deadline, and some of the moves made will be significant. Quite possibly, they could be season-defining maneuvers.

Naturally, the rumor mill will continue churning throughout the regular season too. Here, we'll dive into some of the latest rumors and buzz on the doorstep of the regular-season opener.

Miami Is out on James Harden

Carmen Mandato/Associated Press

One of the biggest ongoing storylines this year has involved the Houston Rockets and standout scorer James Harden.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported early in the offseason that Harden was vocal about being traded and had targeted the Brooklyn Nets as a destination. More recently, ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Adrian Wojnarowski reported Harden has indicated he's interested in joining the Philadelphia 76ers, along with other potential contenders.

One intriguing destination would be the Heat, who took the Lakers to six games in the Finals. However, it appears that Miami isn't particularly interested in adding Harden.

"The Miami Heat are not actively pursuing James Harden at this time, AP is told by a source with direct knowledge of the matter," Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press tweeted. "There was preliminary talk between the teams; I would imagine almost every team had those with the Rockets."

Multiple Teams Interested in Tucker

Carmen Mandato/Associated Press

Harden may not be the only Rocket on the move this season. Veteran forward P.J. Tucker could quickly find himself in demand if Houston decides to make him available, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

"Multiple teams have expressed interest in trading for Tucker if he’s made available, league sources told HoopsHype," Scotto wrote.

Of course, there's no clear indication that the Rockets would make Tucker available. In fact, it seems more likely that Houston will look to lock up the Texas product for the long-term. According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle Houston and Tucker have discussed an extension:

"A week that began with Rockets forward P.J. Tucker showing frustration over stalled talks on a contract extension is ending with increased conversations about a deal for the Rockets’ veteran power forward.
Though agreement is not considered close, a person with knowledge of conversations said 'both sides are hopeful.'"

If the Rockets decide to completely blow things up and rebuild, though, they may have little trouble moving Tucker.

Warriors Still in on Jeremy Lin

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Jeremy Lin had planned to join the Golden State Warriors' G-League team this offseason, but the deal fell apart. According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, sources indicate that Lin wasn't able to receive clearance from the Chinese Basketball Association in time to sign the deal.

However, this doesn't mean that Lin and the Warriors won't reunite eventually.

"The Warriors remain interested in adding Jeremy Lin to the [Santa Cruz Warriors] should Lin decide to use the G League as the platform for a potential NBA comeback, league sources say," Marc Stein of the New York Times tweeted.

Lin saw his first NBA action back in 2010 with the Warriors. The Harvard produce last played for the Toronto Raptors during the 2018-19 season. He appeared in 23 games that season and averaged just under 19 minutes.