As NBA free agency approaches, the Philadelphia 76ers have one big fish to take care of: James Harden.
The Beard is set to opt out of his current deal and there have been many reports of him rejoining the Houston Rockets. Harden won an MVP with the Rockets in 2018 and he had the most success in his career while a member of the Rockets. He has his family there and his business ventures that make it attractive for him to return.
On the flip side, the Sixers are obviously the better team and are in contention for a title. The Rockets have a nice young core of Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun, but they finished 22-60. They have a long way to go.
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Smith Jr. talked with HoopsHype and he gave his pitch for Harden to return to the Rockets:
Come back home. He did so much for that city; there’s still so much love for him in Houston. It would definitely feel like home for him if he came back.
Harden is torn on his decision of choosing between the Rockets and the Sixers. From the outside, it would make so much sense for him to just remain in Philadelphia and keep building with Joel Embiid. However, Houston is home and it brings familiarity for the future Hall of Famer. Philadelphia will have to work something out with The Beard in order to keep him in tow and keep building.
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