The Philadelphia 76ers acquired James Harden in a blockbuster deal from the Brooklyn Nets at the 2022 deadline and re-signed the future Hall of Fame guard on a 1+1 deal to keep him in Philadelphia.
The Sixers believe Harden and Joel Embiid can work together to bring a championship to Philadelphia for the first time since 1983. The duo has had its ups and downs, but when they have been together and healthy, they have been almost unstoppable. Harden’s brilliance as a playmaker complements Embiid’s dominance as a scorer.
However, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon hopped on Tuesday’s “Howdy Partner” podcast and began connecting some dots on a Harden return to the Houston Rockets in 2023 free agency (h/t Rockets Wire):
They’ve got like, $60 million, potentially, in cap space this summer. This is not Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City or San Antonio. This is Houston, a potentially desirable market for free agents.
It will be fascinating to see how free agency plays out. You know how the league works. There’s already been a lot of gossip and dot connecting, ‘Hey, if things don’t work out in Philly, keep an eye out on James Harden back to Houston.’
I think ‘keep an eye out on that’ is certainly fair. First, let’s see how things work out in Philadelphia, where they’re starting to play really good basketball. Also, does that make sense from a Rockets perspective?
Considering how close Harden and president Daryl Morey are, it would be a little surprising to see The Beard head back to Houston. He wants to win a championship. It’s the only thing missing from a stellar resume and he has a much better chance to win with the Sixers rather than with the rebuilding Rockets.
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