James Harden had heard nothing. No one among the Rockets' brass in New Orleans with him for the All-Star Game had asked his opinion about potential roster moves this week. He did not offer it.

Other All-Stars around the NBA have taken it upon themselves to weigh in, and the Rockets generally have been open to hear from their stars. Harden said his interest was returning from the break refreshed and beginning a 24-game push to hit the playoffs on a roll.

"That's their job," Harden said of management. "I just sit back. If they have any thoughts, I'll answer them. But other than that, no."

That could indicate nothing was close or substantial enough for Harden to be invited to weigh in. The Rockets, however, had been busy. According to multiple individuals with knowledge of trade discussions that ramped up around the league over the weekend, the Rockets had been heavily involved, as usual, in talks.

Though general manager Daryl Morey had said he would look for depth, even if only as insurance if there is an injury, the Rockets have sought a deal that could bring one more player to the rotation, and particularly would like someone versatile enough to play multiple positions to help reduce the playing time of several key players.

Nothing was considered close because many teams open to dealing who might be considered "sellers" are proceeding cautiously while still in contention for the final playoff spots in both conferences. That could make deals more difficult, with teams ambivalent about sending out talent for draft picks. It seems certain to make them take longer.

Last-minute flurry?

Despite last week's trade of Serge Ibaka to Toronto and this week's blockbuster to ship DeMarcus Cousins out of Sacramento and to New Orleans - where he will make his Pelicans debut against the Rockets on Thursday - there was widespread expectation that most deals will play beat the clock before the 2 p.m. deadline Thursday.

With the NBA's fourth-best record, the Rockets will seek to keep the bulk of their rotation together. But they head into the deadline with a collection of players with relatively modest contracts who rarely play and with three picks in this summer's draft, currently in position to be the 27th, 40th and 44th picks.

Those are not the sort of draft picks to key a deal, but they could be enough in a particularly deep draft to finish a deal.

Harden, however, made a case the Rockets already received what they needed with the All-Star break.

"We have a couple more days before our first game," he said Sunday. "Then it's back to getting ready for the postseason.

"I think guys needed (time off) to clear their minds and get ready to go."

The Rockets lost their final game before the break but won their previous four games, seemingly leaving the struggles of January's overcrowded schedule behind. They should not have that problem in the coming weeks, but after facing Anthony Davis, the All-Star Game MVP, and Cousins on Thursday, the Rockets go against teams that defeated them in previous meetings, the Pacers and Timberwolves.

That leads to the stretch against Western Conference teams - the Clippers, Spurs, Grizzlies and Jazz - that could be playoff opponents.

Bit of breathing room

The Rockets hold a four-game lead on the Clippers, who reached the break with a four-game winning streak, for the third seed. They lead the fifth-place Jazz in the race to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs by 4½ games. That was the goal when they began the season. The goal they said they would bring to the stretch run would be to be playing like a contender again when the postseason begins.

"Overall, offensively and defensively, we just need to continue to get better, continue to grow, and continue to prepare for this home stretch," Harden said. "First, we've got to get our rest and make sure we're ready to go, that we're playing at a high level for the rest of the regular-season games and then the postseason."