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With James Harden set to become a free agent next summer, there have been rumblings in the past week that he's interested in a possible Houston Rockets reunion if the Philadelphia 76ers don't reward him with an attractive extension. While The Beard publically said he's happy in the City of Brotherly Love, anything can happen once his deal is up.
The question now remains, would the rebuilding Rockets even consider bringing Harden back? According to ESPN's Zach Lowe and Tim McMahon, they'd have to. Via The Lowe Post:
“Is a Harden reunion impossible?”
MacMahon: “I would call it emotional and impatient, but impossible I would not call it.”
Lowe: “Oh, they’ll consider it. 100 percent.”
MacMahon: “100 percent, they will consider it”
Harden was an absolute menace for the Rockets for many years and will go down as one of the best players in franchise history. But, his exit from Houston was definitely messy to say the least, showing up late to training camp and forcing his way out of town, ultimately getting traded to the Brooklyn Nets. We know how that ended.
To be honest, it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense for the Rockets to reunite with Harden. They're in a rebuild and have a solid core intact with Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr, Alperen Sengun, and Jabari Smith. Signing Harden would take minutes away from their young, electric backcourt. That is certainly not what you want.
On the other hand, this is Year Three of the rebuild and although there are some intriguing pieces on the roster, it's not translating to wins. Houston sits at the bottom of the Western Conference at 10-24. Perhaps Tillman Fertitta wants to bring an impact player in who can help them get out of the gutter.
The summer of 2023 should be interesting. It's certainly too early to rule out this possibility.
