Over recent weeks, many have floated around the possibility of a potential reunion for James Harden and the Houston Rockets. Of course, this would only materialize should the Philadelphia 76ers, led by a dominant Joel Embiid, falter once more in the postseason. Nonetheless, the possibility gained even more legs after one of the most reputable NBA news sources, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, confimed that Harden is “seriously considering” a return to Houston.

At first glance, however, such a move doesn't make the most sense for both James Harden and the Rockets. The Rockets, in particular, are in the middle of a rebuild, while Harden is angling for a shot at a championship with the Sixers. However, ESPN's Zach Lowe said that if Harden continues to sign one-year deals with a player option for the second year, the Rockets could, perhaps, make a run for their former franchise cornerstone.

“If Harden is willing to come on a short-term deal, and there are a lot of whispers around the league that he wants to keep cycling through 1+1 type deals [one year plus player option]… you could talk yourself into it. If you’re the Rockets, ‘No harm, no foul, it’s not like we’re trying ourselves to him forever,'” Lowe said in an episode of his podcast, The Lowe Post.

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It's unclear if James Harden, indeed, is intending to take those kinds of deals in free agency instead of a longer-term deal. After all, Harden is already 33 years old, and he has endured a plethora of lower body injuries in recent seasons. The security of a five-year deal, perhaps with the Sixers, could prove to be the more enticing option for the Beard as he enters the twilight of his career.

Nevertheless, crazier things have happened in the NBA, and a Harden-Rockets reunion shouldn't be too surprising if it actually comes to fruition.