The rumor mill around James Harden is churning heavily. While he and the Philadelphia 76ers look to legitimize their championship hopes, the Houston Rockets are potentially looking to split Harden and the Sixers up by welcoming him back in free agency.
The possibility of Harden going back to Houston is being discussed as heavily as ever and both sides have an interest in a reunion, according to Sam Amick and Kelly Iko of The Athletic. The Rockets are “widely expected” to go after Harden in the likely event that he declines his player option. The 33-year-old star is reportedly “as serious about a possible return now as he was when he left town.”
Rumors connecting Harden to his former team have been background noise for the Sixers as they look to make a deep playoff run.
History of James Harden-Rockets reunion rumors
The first serious mentions of Harden considering a return to Houston came in December from ESPN. Zach Lowe and Tim MacMahon discussed “gossip” suggesting the reunion before Adrian Wojnarowski gave basketball fans the gift of Christmas slop in a report that added more fuel to the fire. The Athletic's recent report builds on and gives more legitimacy to those previous whispers.
It's no surprise that Harden loves Houston, the city he lived in for nearly a decade while rising to NBA superstardom. The Athletic reports that team owner Tilman Fertitta told Harden upon his trade to the Brooklyn Nets that he is welcome to return in the future. The team he would be welcomed back to looks as uninspired as any team in the league, though.
The Rockets are on pace to win the fewest games in the league for the third straight year. Head coach Stephen Silas may be out after failing to cultivate a promising on-court identity and develop the team's young players in a meaningful way. Houston has a bad, young team and culture stagnating in a miserable state.
Harden still has a place in his heart for the city and the team, which could flip some of its young players to make a better squad around Harden if he chooses to return. But through both his actions and his words, he has shown a commitment to the Sixers.
Sixers' future outlook
A lot will be determined about Harden's future in the coming months. The Sixers' success (or lack thereof) in the playoffs and the front office's negotiations with Harden for his new contract are the biggest factors at play. Leaving for the Rockets hardly adds up and would amount to a resignation from winning in favor of the comfort of his home. The desire to go home can be a strong one, though.
The Sixers were one of the few teams Harden wanted to leave the Rockets for at the beginning of the 2021-22 season. Old friend Daryl Morey and superstar Joel Embiid have given him a shot to compete for the championship he knows his career is incomplete without. Philadelphia is far from perfect but Harden has shown a willingness to change his game and put in the work to win with the Sixers, who are “unconcerned” with the possibility of him leaving, according to The Athletic.
If the Rockets believed Harden was angling for a return, they probably wouldn't have traded Eric Gordon at the trade deadline. Rumors surfaced that made Gordon out to be a potential factor in Harden's decision to return. But he now finds himself on the Los Angeles Clippers and is under contract for next season.
In addition to one of Harden's favorite supporting cast members being gone from Houston, two other players he is close with (P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr.) are under contract with Philly for next season. Harden took a pay cut that allowed the team to sign both of them. After the trade deadline, Morey said that the Sixers have “a lot of guys we're gonna re-sign” and that getting under the luxury tax made it “easier to keep this team together moving forward.”
The language from all of the major reports about James Harden going back to the Rockets includes the obvious Sixers caveats. If they win in the playoffs and offer Harden a big contract, it seems likely that he'll stay. The pressure to win is immense this postseason for many other reasons and the whispers of Harden to Houston, however unlikely that move seems, will add to it.
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