The 2023 free agency promises to be an interesting time for the Philadelphia 76ers. While they don’t have much money to go out and bring in other free agents to bolster the roster, they can re-sign James Harden if they work something out with him.
The Sixers acquired Harden from the Brooklyn Nets at the 2022 deadline and re-signed him to a 1-and-1 deal in the offseason. As he heads into the 2023 offseason, rumors regarding a reunion with the Houston Rockets have been at the forefront of his summer.
The Rockets offer familiarity for Harden. Houston is where he took big steps forward as a star in this league and where he really made his impact. His family is still there as well as his business ventures, so it makes sense he would want to go back to the Rockets.
On the other hand, the Sixers offer him his best chance to win, so he is a bit torn on his decision at the moment.
Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady, another Rockets great, is confused why The Beard would want to go back to Houston:
Do you want to go back to Houston and jack up 30 3s and just average 30 and, and lose? It doesn’t make sense.
Tracy McGrady can’t believe James Harden would really considering leaving an Eastern Conference contender like the #Sixers (with an MVP as his costar) for a rebuilding #Rockets team. pic.twitter.com/TsHclFLfpd
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 7, 2023
It will be interesting to see what happens with Harden. He is still one of the top players in the game despite being on the back end of his career, but do the Sixers want to give him $210 million over four years? Probably not. They’ll have to work something out between the two sides.
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