James Harden reached out to Lou Williams two weeks before the deadline about joining the Houston Rockets.

“When James called, he asked me if I was interested in playing with them,” Williams told The Vertical. “I told him that I loved the Lakers, but James and them have a group that fit my personality, fit how I play. He said he was going to make it happen.”

Williams then laughed. “I’ve heard that before, so I didn’t really put stock into it,” Williams told The Vertical. “I guess James did put the word in, and the team made it happen.”

Houston, Utah and Washington reached out to Magic Johnson about a deal, with Williams’ agent, Wallace Prather, helping to facilitate negotiations.

Williams has averaged 14.5 points in 13 games with the Rockets.

“We needed one more guy that could create, and Lou is perfect,” Mike D’Antoni told The Vertical. “Lou is a professional scorer. In case someone is off, if someone is injured, Lou brings another 15 to 20 points. We still need to incorporate everything. You can never have enough shooters and playmakers, and he does both.”