The Philadelphia 76ers are fresh off one of their best wins of the regular season on Thursday night, a wild double-digit comeback victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Even when all momentum suggests the Sixers have righted the ship after a rough start in 2022-23 to emerge as a true top-tier title contender, though, turmoil is still bubbling beneath the surface in the City of Brotherly Love.
Two months after a report indicated he has interest in returning to the Houston Rockets this summer, James Harden heading back to his former team in free agency apparently remains a “very real possibility,” according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
“Not just that Houston wants to, but Houston believes it is a legitimate possibility and that's not coming out of thin air,” he said of Harden's potential return to the Rockets on Friday's episode of Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective. “James Harden still spends a lot of time in Houston. Spends his summers in Houston. Works out at the Rockets' facility on a regular basis. It's a very real possibility. And Harden, by the way, never shot it down. He just said ‘I don't know where that came from.'”
Harden dropped 31 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and six triples on just 16 field goal attempts against the Grizzlies, turning back the clock to thoroughly out-play a struggling Ja Morant.
His dominant performance is another reminder that Philadelphia has what it takes to win a title when Embiid and Harden are at their best and the supporting cast does just enough on either end of the floor. To wit, the Sixers have been basketball's best team since December 1st, with a 27-9 record.
As well as it's going in Philly, though, smoke is clearly still burning about Harden's desire to go back to Houston. He'll likely decline his 2023-24 player option to hit free agency come July, and the Rockets are flush with enough cap space to offer Harden the max. Owner Tilman Fertitta has a close relationship with Harden, and it's no secret the team would prefer to level up next season after spending two years in the cellar.
Keep a close eye on James Harden no matter how the Sixers finish 2022-23. Closer to a championship than he's been in years, there's obviously still a chance Harden may prefer to take his talents back to Houston.
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