Who is going to win the James Harden sweepstakes this off-season?
After another playoff exit, James Harden is set to enter free agency this summer and it appears he might not be headed back to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Following several years as the franchise player for the Houston Rockets, Harden would force a trade out and would land with the Brooklyn Nets before he forced another one to the 76ers.
Harden, who starred in Houston from 2012-21, winning the 2018 MVP award and making nine straight All-Star appearances while being the NBA’s scoring leader from 2018-2020, is expected to opt out of his $35.6 million deal for 2023-24 with the 76ers.
Betting odds have him headed back to where he made his name as an MVP: The Houston Rockets.
The Rockets expect to reunite with James Harden this offseason, sources told Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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According to Pompey, NBA executives across the league believe Harden will return to Houston. According to sources, the 33-year-old’s desire to rejoin the Rockets is genuine and not a negotiation tactic to get a higher salary from the Sixers. Houston has the cap space to pay him the highest possible compensation.
For his part, the veteran guard still has family and business ventures in the city, where he spent eight-and-a-half years of his NBA career. He was also well known for how much money he spent at the local strip clubs.
The Rockets have been one of the NBA’s worst teams since trading Harden, but they remain motivated to turn things around this upcoming season since they’ll send their ’24 first-round pick to Oklahoma City if it lands outside of the top four. Multiple reports have indicated that the organization wants to acquire veteran talent this summer.
Philadelphia will have the ability to offer him more money than the Rockets, though Houston will always have his heart.
As Pompey notes, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told reporters this week that the team’s priority is re-signing Harden.
“Scenario A would be to bring James back,” Morey said. “Scenario B, if he’s not back, we’ll have to get creative.”
