Now that the 2022-23 NBA season is over and done and a new champion in the form of the Denver Nuggets has been crowned, the offseason is now officially underway, and one of the biggest names to watch out for in the summer is Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden.

The former league MVP is rumored to be wanting to return to his old stomping grounds in Texas with the Houston Rockets. He also has a player option worth $35.6 million on the table that he needs to decide on whether to pick up or let go of on or before June 29. If he is looking to return to Houston and sign a max contract, that might be something that the Rockets are not interested in offering the bearded superstar, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

“It begins with James Harden, Houston’s top free agent target. With that said, there are rumblings the Rockets don’t want to give him a max contract. For Harden, he’s weighing returning home to Houston for family reasons, the chance to have other veterans join him in free agency with all their cap space, and playing with Houston’s young core players versus having the chance to remain with the MVP Joel Embiid and an Eastern Conference where he’s already on a Top 4 contending team.”

As Scotto mentioned, James Harden has got to be considering the idea of running it back with the Sixers, with a genuine superstar as a partner in reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid. It appears that between Houston and Philly, it's the Sixers that present Harden with a better shot at winning an NBA title next season — at the moment.