Rumors of a James Harden return to the Houston Rockets in free agency started to heat up around last Christmas, and many seemed to think the move was a foregone conclusion. However, there seems to be more and more “skepticism” building that Harden is actually going to go back to Houston.

Matt Moore of Action Network is the latest to report on this situation: “After the Harden-back-to-Houston talk reached a fever pitch three weeks ago, there now seems to be a certain amount of skepticism coming from Houston. There’s concern that they were being used to leverage the 76ers into something closer to a max deal either in money or years.”

This isn't the first time it has been suggested that the Rockets are being used as leverage in order to get the Philadelphia 76ers to pay up. Harden is set to opt out of a $35.64 million player option for next season after taking a discount to stay in Philly last offseason. A four-year max from the Sixers for Harden would be worth over $210 million, while one from the Rockets would be over $201 million.

A big question is if either of these teams are willing to offer Harden this kind of monster contract at this point. While Harden is still an All-Star-caliber player, he has clearly declined and will be 34 years old this summer. He also just suffered another playoff disappointment with the Sixers, even despite a few monster games against the Boston Celtics.

Philly wants to bring Harden back, but the preference appears to be a short-term deal. Meanwhile, there's doubt Houston is going to pay up. Harden himself is reportedly “torn” about the decision.

If the Rockets miss out on Harden, Moore says they plan to pivot to Kyrie Irving and Chris Paul. Houston has been linked to a number of high-profile veterans in free agency as the franchise tries to take a step forward, with Moore also noting interest in Dillon Brooks and Brook Lopez.