James Harden should be allowed to work out his own future without outside pressures, as far as new Houston Rockets team-mate John Wall is concerned.
It means Wall will not be pushing Harden into disclosing his intentions or even his hunches about what the future might hold, amid a host of trade rumours.
Harden, an eight-time NBA All-Star and former MVP, has been linked with various teams including the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks.
The 31-year-old might be on the move before Wall gets the chance to play competitive games in Harden's company.
Wall, newly arrived from the Washington Wizards, is not minded to pry into Harden's private affairs though.
In the Houston Chronicle, Wall said: "At the end of the day, that's a friend. He's going to do what's best for him and the organisation is going to do what's best for them, also.
"I don't try to ask him about that because that's his personal business. All I worry about is what we can do to make this Rockets team the best it can be while everybody is here and move forward with that."
Harden has held positive talks with Rockets head coach Stephen Silas, but whether that leads to a commitment to stay remains to be seen.
All Wall can do is enjoy having Harden as a team-mate for however long that lasts, with the pair helping the Rockets post a 112-98 pre-season win over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.
The Rockets open their 2020-21 season against the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 23.
Harden was reportedly unavailable for comment after the Spurs contest, but he had plenty of in-game chat, as Wall discovered.
"It was cool. At first, it was a little different for me because I'm so used to having the ball so much. But we were just talking throughout the game. We were talking on the sideline," Wall said.
"If he got the ball, I can find ways to run out, get outlet passes from him. And at times, let him be aggressive out there. At the same time, I'm not worried about trying to score 30 or 40. My job is to try to be a point guard, be a leader out there and try to get guys shots and be aggressive myself to open the floor for the offense.
"At the same time, we know who you are, James Harden, an elite scorer in this league. Play your game, no matter what."