As the Philadelphia 76ers get set for a Christmas Day matchup with the New York Knicks, some news broke from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that James Harden is now seriously considering a return to his old stomping grounds with the Houston Rockets.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon previously began connecting the dots on Harden going back to Houston, but now Wojnarowski is reporting that this is a serious thought for The Beard in free agency of 2023.
Per Woj:
Harden and his inner circle have been openly weighing Houston in recent months, sources said, a remarkable possibility given that he requested and received a trade out of the franchise less than two years ago.
For all of Harden’s history and connection with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and CEO Tad Brown, his working relationships with Embiid and coach Doc Rivers resemble something closer to a work in progress. The Sixers gave up significant assets to acquire Harden, and he’s expected to remain a priority to re-sign on a new deal for a second consecutive summer.
The Sixers went big for Harden at the deadline in 2022 as they sent Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and a slew of picks to the Brooklyn Nets for the future Hall of Fame guard. If Harden were to leave and go back to the Rockets in the summer of 2023, it would be disappointing for this front office to really strike out on such a big deal.
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