James Harden: 'Never Want to Take Playing Basketball for Granted' Amid Rumors

As James Harden prepares to make his season debut Saturday night, the Houston Rockets star is looking forward to stepping on the court. 

Harden spoke to reporters about his mindset heading into the matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers after all that's happened over the past week. 

"Never want to take playing basketball for granted," he said. 

The Rockets' season opener originally scheduled against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday was postponed because Houston was unable to meet the minimum roster requirements under the league's COVID-19 policy. 

On the same day, though it was prior to the game being postponed, the NBA announced Harden had been fined $50,000 and would be unavailable for the Rockets for a violation of COVID-19 protocols after reviewing video footage of him in a club without a mask that circulated online earlier this month. 

In addition to all of those issues with the Rockets, Harden has been the subject of trade rumors dating back to November.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday on Hoop Streams (starts at one-minute mark) that the Rockets-Harden standoff could continue "into the foreseeable future" because Houston wants to maximize its return for the eight-time All-Star. 

Harden has two guaranteed years and $85.6 million, in addition to a $47.4 million player option for the 2022-23 season, on his current contract. The 31-year-old has led the NBA in scoring average in each of the past three seasons.