A reunion between the Houston Rockets and likely free agent James Harden has been rumored for months as a realistic possibility, but the superstar guard also has a strong situation where he is alongside NBA MVP Joel Embiid with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Thus, with 2023 free agency less than a month away, the final outcome appears to remain very much in question.
Shams Charania, NBA insider for The Athletic, said this on a newly released podcast episode of The Ryan Russillo Show:
I don’t think he knows, as far as what I know about his mindset. … I really think that he’s torn with the prospect of staying in Philadelphia or moving on to Houston potentially and returning back to his home.
That’s where his roots are, his family is there, of course. They’ve got upwards of [$60 million in cap space], they could make even more money available — close to $70 million in cap space — so they’re going to have a ton of money. And this is a team, in Houston, I do believe they’re going to be aggressive in the marketplace.
Much of it may come down to negotiations, and which team wants Harden more. While he’s still a very good player, a contract of maximum length (four years) would mean putting Harden on the books through 2026-27, i.e. a season in which he will be 37 years old. That’s typically an age by which most NBA players decline.
Thus, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if both the Sixers and Rockets are trying to negotiate for a shorter contract. Time will tell as to which side goes to greater lengths to make a deal happen, or what Harden’s preference would be if both sides make final bids in close proximity.
Should Harden return to Philadelphia, new reporting suggests that Toronto’s Fred VanVleet could be a backup plan for Houston.
