There has been a lot of tension regarding the future of James Harden in the last few weeks. In fact, it’s still not clear if he will stay with the team or not. But it appears these distractions do not have any impact on the Beard.

In his season debut on Saturday night battle against the Portland Trail Blazers, Harden put on a show. He recorded a double-double with 44 points and 17 assists! But the Rockets lost by two points in overtime. Despite having a good overall game, Harden fumbled with a final second pass.

But considering his historic performance, one can’t put the blame on Harden for this defeat. Furthermore, he still appears to be a little overweight but still dropped monstrous numbers. Once he is back in shape, the 3-time NBA scoring leader will pick up from right where he left off.

Twitter reacts to the monstrous game by James Harden

Harden has received a lot of flak from NBA fans over the last few months. First, due to a bad playoff run and secondly due to his shenanigans after asking for a trade. But today, he had mostly positive reactions by NBA analysts and fans.

It is always a beautiful sight to watch Harden tear through the opponent’s defense. Moreover, because he scores with such ease, it’s just frustrating for the opponents. After this performance, it’s quite clear; if any team wants James Harden, they will have to build a hefty trade package.

What’s next in the Harden trade saga?

Things have relatively cooled down about the Rockets’ next step regarding James Harden. But one thing is clear; they should do everything in their power to convince him to stay. They can’t afford to lose a player of his caliber, let alone for a cheap trade package.

There are two options for the Rockets; either make sure Harden is happy with the current team and its future plans or get a huge trade package for Harden to rebuild after his departure.