{"id":155703,"date":"2020-11-18T01:38:07","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T09:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=155703"},"modified":"2020-11-18T11:42:15","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T19:42:15","slug":"fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/","title":{"rendered":"Harden, Westbrook Reportedly Want Out of Houston, Citing Rockets Owner Fertitta’s Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last season, the Houston Rockets were one of NBA\u2019s best teams. But now they could be on the verge of a dramatic breakup. That could be because of the team’s owner Tilman Fertitta’s ties to President Trump and the Republican Party.<\/p>\n

\"Rockets
Houston Rockets superstar James Harden, right, seen here with team owner Tilman Fertitta during happier days. Reports are circulating that Harden, Russell Westbrook, and possibly other players want to leave the team because of Fertitta’s political ties to President Trump. (Image: Michael Wyke\/Associated Press)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

James Harden, who has led the league in scoring the past three seasons, and Russell Westbrook, a two-time season scoring champion and two-time season assists leader, have sought trades out of Houston. Bleacher Report and Fox Sports basketball writer Ric Bucher said it was because of politics \u2013 and not the locker room kind.<\/p>\n

What I heard is, and we know how much politics and political position had to do with the boycott and protests during the Bubble, I\u2019m hearing that Tilman Fertitta\u2019s strong Republican support and donations is one of the things that is contributing to this dissatisfaction\u2026 There is a revolt here because they look at Fertitta as a guy who supports the current President,\u201d Bucher said on Fox Sports\u2019 The Odd Couple<\/a><\/em> podcast.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Fertitta<\/a> not only owns the Rockets but also owns the Golden Nugget chain of casinos as well. Fertitta\u2019s Landry\u2019s Inc. purchased what is now the Golden Nugget Atlantic City from Trump Entertainment Resorts nearly a decade ago. But by that time, Trump<\/a> held just a 10 percent stake in the company as it emerged out of bankruptcy.<\/p>\n

Fertitta Spox Claims He’s Bipartisan<\/h2>\n

Late Tuesday, a spokesperson for Fertitta issued a statement to TMZ<\/em> <\/a>that the billionaire businessman<\/a> supports both Republicans and Democrats, including President-elect Joe Biden.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout his business career, Tilman Fertitta has supported many individuals in public service. He has hosted numerous fundraisers for President Bill Clinton and hosted President George W. Bush in his home,” the statement said.<\/p>\n

\n

While Fertitta may support both sides, according to data from the Federal Election Commission<\/a>, the support has been decidedly Republican since 2019. In that time, he\u2019s made 32 contributions totaling $573,000 to federal candidates or political action committees. Only four of those, totaling $18,200, have been to Democrats, including a $2,800 contribution on Oct. 7 to the Biden campaign.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Meanwhile, Fertitta gave $70,000 to Trump\u2019s political action committee since the start of 2019, as well as $200 in contributions to the president\u2019s re-election committee.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Houston May Hold On, For Now<\/h2>\n

On Tuesday, ESPN<\/em> reported that Houston\u2019s management is willing to hold on to their superstar MVP Award-winning guards as the start of preseason training for the 2020-21 season draws near. Both happen to be under contract for at least the next two seasons.<\/p>\n

The NBA released details Tuesday about the planned 72-game regular season, scheduled to start on Dec. 22. Preseason games will start on Dec. 11.<\/p>\n

However, reports have also circulated that Rockets officials have had conversations with the Washington Wizards about sending Westbrook there.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, rumors indicate that Harden has turned down a $50 million per year extension to stay in Houston. For comparison, Steph Curry made about $40 million last season as the league\u2019s highest-paid player.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harden\u2019s focus has been on working a trade to the Brooklyn Nets. There, he would reunite with his former Oklahoma City teammate Kevin Durant. If that pairing comes to fruition, it would make the Nets a serious contender in the Eastern Conference. That comes as the favorite Milwaukee Bucks have added several pieces in recent days to build around two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.<\/p>\n

Rockets Fall, Nets Rise on NBA Futures Odds Board<\/h2>\n

Reports of the Rockets breakup have apparently affected Houston’s odds for the 20-21 season. A month ago, after the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship, FanDuel listed the Rockets at +1600. That made them the co-eighth choice, along with the Denver Nuggets, to win the title.<\/p>\n

\n

As of early Wednesday morning, the Rockets odds are now +3600. That makes them the 12th<\/sup> selection, along with the Utah Jazz. If somehow Harden and Westbrook can make amends with Fertitta, those odds could have some value tied to them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Meanwhile, the Nets are creeping up the board. A month ago, they were available for +1300 at FanDuel. Now, they\u2019re the third choice at +600, behind only the Lakers<\/a> (+330) and the Bucks (+500).<\/p>\n

Other teams rounding out the top five at FanDuel are the Los Angeles Clippers at +700 and the Golden State Warriors at +950.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last season, the Houston Rockets were one of NBA\u2019s best teams. But now they could be on the verge of a dramatic breakup. That could be because of the team’s owner Tilman Fertitta’s ties to President Trump and the Republican Party. James Harden, who has led the league in scoring the past three seasons, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":155704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,1,16],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFertitta Politics May Be Prompting Rockets Stars to Want Out of Houston<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta's ties to President Trump may be the reason why James Harden and Russell Westbrook want trades out of Houston.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fertitta Politics May Be Prompting Rockets Stars to Want Out of Houston\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta's ties to President Trump may be the reason why James Harden and Russell Westbrook want trades out of Houston.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-11-18T09:38:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-11-18T19:42:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ap_17287655793768-e1592260288494.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Steve Bittenbender\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Steve Bittenbender\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/\",\"name\":\"Fertitta Politics May Be Prompting Rockets Stars to Want Out of Houston\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ap_17287655793768-e1592260288494.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-11-18T09:38:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-11-18T19:42:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2\"},\"description\":\"Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta's ties to President Trump may be the reason why James Harden and Russell Westbrook want trades out of Houston.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ap_17287655793768-e1592260288494.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ap_17287655793768-e1592260288494.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"Houston Rockets superstar James Harden, right, seen here with team owner Tilman Fertitta during happier days. Reports are circulating that Harden, Russell Westbrook, and possibly other players want to leave the team because of Fertitta's political ties to President Trump. (Image: Michael Wyke\/Associated Press)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Politics\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/politics\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Harden, Westbrook Reportedly Want Out of Houston, Citing Rockets Owner Fertitta’s Politics\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Casino.org\",\"description\":\"Latest Casino and Gaming News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2\",\"name\":\"Steve Bittenbender\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Steve Bittenbender\"},\"description\":\"Steve Bittenbender covers Midwest and Gulport news for Casino.org. He also specializes in sports betting and horse racing. Steve is a veteran reporter and brings more than two decades of experience covering sports, business and politics. He joined Casino.org in 2019. Steve has also covered major collegiate and professional sports for the Associated Press and the Louisville Courier-Journal and is frequently featured on local network TV newscasts and podcasts for his horse racing business and legislative expertise. A Reuters contributor, he has also previously served as editor for Government Security News. Steve lives in Louisville, Kentucky -- the epicenter of the US horse racing industry -- with his wife and son. He is also an avid poker player, having learned from his uncle as a wholesome after-school pastime with cookies and milk. Contact Steve at stevebittenbender@casino.org.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/steve-bittenbender\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Fertitta Politics May Be Prompting Rockets Stars to Want Out of Houston","description":"Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta's ties to President Trump may be the reason why James Harden and Russell Westbrook want trades out of Houston.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Fertitta Politics May Be Prompting Rockets Stars to Want Out of Houston","og_description":"Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta's ties to President Trump may be the reason why James Harden and Russell Westbrook want trades out of Houston.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/","og_site_name":"Casino.org","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews","article_published_time":"2020-11-18T09:38:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-11-18T19:42:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ap_17287655793768-e1592260288494.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Steve Bittenbender","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Casino_Org","twitter_site":"@Casino_Org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Steve Bittenbender","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/","name":"Fertitta Politics May Be Prompting Rockets Stars to Want Out of Houston","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ap_17287655793768-e1592260288494.jpg","datePublished":"2020-11-18T09:38:07+00:00","dateModified":"2020-11-18T19:42:15+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2"},"description":"Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta's ties to President Trump may be the reason why James Harden and Russell Westbrook want trades out of Houston.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ap_17287655793768-e1592260288494.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ap_17287655793768-e1592260288494.jpg","width":1000,"height":600,"caption":"Houston Rockets superstar James Harden, right, seen here with team owner Tilman Fertitta during happier days. Reports are circulating that Harden, Russell Westbrook, and possibly other players want to leave the team because of Fertitta's political ties to President Trump. (Image: Michael Wyke\/Associated Press)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fertitta-politics-may-be-prompting-rockets-stars-to-want-out-of-houston\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Politics","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/politics\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Harden, Westbrook Reportedly Want Out of Houston, Citing Rockets Owner Fertitta’s Politics"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/","name":"Casino.org","description":"Latest Casino and Gaming News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2","name":"Steve Bittenbender","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png","caption":"Steve Bittenbender"},"description":"Steve Bittenbender covers Midwest and Gulport news for Casino.org. He also specializes in sports betting and horse racing. Steve is a veteran reporter and brings more than two decades of experience covering sports, business and politics. He joined Casino.org in 2019. Steve has also covered major collegiate and professional sports for the Associated Press and the Louisville Courier-Journal and is frequently featured on local network TV newscasts and podcasts for his horse racing business and legislative expertise. A Reuters contributor, he has also previously served as editor for Government Security News. Steve lives in Louisville, Kentucky -- the epicenter of the US horse racing industry -- with his wife and son. He is also an avid poker player, having learned from his uncle as a wholesome after-school pastime with cookies and milk. Contact Steve at stevebittenbender@casino.org.","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/steve-bittenbender\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155703"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155703\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/155704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}