As we inch closer to the official start of the 2023 NBA offseason, the Houston Rockets find themselves generating a considerable amount of buzz. From clinching the fourth overall pick in this year's upcoming draft to the hiring of Ime Udoka as their next head coach, the ball club has been a hot topic since their campaign came to an end on April 9. However, despite the aforementioned achievements, their link to James Harden has been the most talked about storyline.

Heading into unrestricted free agency, the current Sixers star and former Rockets MVP has been rumored to be ‘torn' between re-upping with Philadelphia or making a return to Space City this summer.

Though the news has been heavily discussed within the media, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith stated on a June 12 episode of First Take that he understands why such rumblings have surfaced.

“James Harden insisted he wanted [out of Houston]. Remember, he showed up out of shape. Remember, he was missing some training camp stuff and all of those storylines were going on. Ultimately, what happened is, Brooklyn became an option because Philadelphia wasn't going to be an option. When James Harden wanted out the door, James Harden basically said ‘I am more than open to coming back, just let me get away and give me an opportunity to try and win a championship because clearly you guys are moving in a different direction and we're not going to have a team to win a championship.' Houston obliged with the understanding that if there was an accord that could be reached down the line they would be receptive to bringing him back and he would be receptive to coming back because obviously as an organization they treated him well, he treated them well. That's where all of this comes from,” Stephen A. Smith said.

Of course, Stephen A. would continue on by noting that while the rumors make sense, ultimately, he doubts that such a storybook event will wind up becoming a reality.

“I don't believe he's going back, I don't even believe he wants to go back. But he just wants his money and you're thinking if there's one organization that will give you the money it'll be them. I would say to you that ain't gonna happen. Because after watching him in this postseason, they might be willing to give him a two-year deal [but] they ain't willing to give him a four-year deal, particularly at max dollars. Because of that, I really don't see that happening,” Stephen A. Smith said.

This past season, James Harden went on to commit to a Robin-type role to Joel Embiid's Batman, as he took a step back in the scoring department and made it a point to become more of a facilitator to allow the eventual 2023 MVP to take command.

As a result, the 33-year-old guard went on to post impressive per-game averages of 21.0 points, 10.7 assists, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals while shooting 44.1% from the field and 38.5% from deep.

Unfortunately, this productivity and seamless fit seemed to drop off rather hard during the Sixers' postseason run, especially during the final three games of Philadelphia's second-round demise against the Boston Celtics where he posted rather underwhelming averages of 13.0 points, 8.7 assists, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.3 steals while shooting 31.4% from the field and 15.4% from deep.

Because of this, Stephen A. Smith believes that while the Houston Rockets may have the salary space to shell out a lucrative payday in James Harden's direction, ultimately, they may be hesitant to do so, which has him believing that a reunion between the two parties is rather unlikely.