The Houston Rockets are expected to make a strong push to acquire Kevin Durant this summer and have already asked James Harden to recruit his former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate.
Durant will become an unrestricted free agent this summer and is expected to get offers from majority of the teams, especially those who are looking to improve their title chances in the coming years.
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According to NBA insider Calvin Watkins of ESPN, the Rockets have already reached out to Harden and convinced him to lead their recruitment pitch this summer. While Harden did not directly address the issue to avoid violating the league's tampering rules, the high-scoring guard hinted that he is ready for the challenging role.
"In order to put yourself as an elite team, you always got to have talent, right?" Harden said. "You always got to get better and find ways to improve. That's any team."
Harden has a strong relationship with Durant after playing three seasons in Oklahoma City, including an NBA Finals stint against the Miami Heat in 2012. The two superstars also have a strong relationship off the court since Harden still has ties to Oklahoma City.
The report pointed out that the Rockets will look to outbid things by convincing Durant that he could earn more money in a bigger market like Houston since there is no income tax in Texas. Winning will not be a problem as well because Durant will instantly make the Rockets one of the top contenders in the Western Conference.
Houston will have enough cap space to offer a maximum deal to Durant, especially if Dwight Howard opts out of his current deal and become a free agent this summer. The former All-Star center will likely test free agency again, considering the fact that he hired a new agent -- Perry Rogers -- this season.
Aside from the Rockets, the Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors are considered likely landing spots for Durant, who is averaging 28.1 points on top of 8.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists this season.
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