Santa Claus delivered the Philadelphia 76ers something quite strange. About an hour before their Christmas Day opener against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported this James Harden seriously considering reuniting with the Houston Rockets next summer, provided he decides to decline his $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season and not re-sign with the Sixers.
harden is after a performance of 20 points, 21 assists and 11 rebounds in a 119-114 win over Los Angeles Clippers Friday. He signed a two-year, $68.8 million contract with Philadelphia in July. The Sixers are 19-12 and have won seven straight, but, according to ESPN, he’s still drawn to Houston for a variety of reasons.
From ESPN:
Harden and his entourage have openly rated Houston over the past few weeks and months, sources said, a remarkable possibility considering he requested and received a trade from the franchise less than two years ago.
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Although he forced his exit from the Rockets in January 2021, Harden has maintained a sort of magnetic pull to Houston, drawn to the community, lifestyle and family there, sources said. After what would become relatively brief stops in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, a return to a rebuilding Rockets franchise would effectively represent comfort and familiarity over an immediate championship pursuit.
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For all of Harden’s history and ties to Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and CEO Tad Brown, his working relationship with Embiid and coach Doc Rivers resembles something closer. of a work in progress. The Sixers gave up significant assets to acquire Harden and he should remain a priority to re-sign a new deal for a second summer in a row.
Before the game in New York, Harden was in no mood to discuss ESPN’s report.
From Philadelphia plaintiffby Keith Pompey:
Asked about the report before the game, Harden replied: “What report?”
Harden said he didn’t know what the reporter was talking about and became agitated when asked about rumors he was considering returning to Houston.
“Why would you ask me at Christmas, man?” he said. “You didn’t say Merry Christmas or anything. You asked me something that I’m not even…I’m not answering. I didn’t see anything.”
Later, told why the question needed to be asked, Harden replied, “I’m not talking right now before the game.”
Harden hasn’t even been a Sixer for a full year. It arrived in a blockbuster trade in February, with dispatches from Philadelphia Ben Simmons, Seth’s Curry, Andrew Drummond and two first-round picks in brooklyn nets. This followed his January 2021 trade from Houston to Brooklyn. In both cases, Harden had requested a trade. When he re-signed with the Sixers, he took just enough money to add them to the free agency roster. Philadelphia signed the ex-Rockets P.J. Tucker and Daniel House, and, in October, the league withdrew its 2023 and 2024 second-round picks after an investigation revealed that she had engaged in discussions with Tucker and House before being allowed to do so.
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In a recent Reporting on Fox Sports by Yaron Weitzman, Sixers president Daryl Morey said Harden and Embiid “talk more than any superstar combo I’ve ever had together.” In the same story, Harden said, “Honestly, the only thing I miss is a championship.” According to ESPN, Harden could be months away from leaving a team that is all about winning a championship to join the team he left less than two years ago, a team that now has a 9-23 record. , the West’s worst in the world, and is in the league’s bottom four in both attack and defense.
Harden turns 34 in August. The 20 year old jalen green21 years old Jabari Smith Jr. and 20-year-old Alperen Sengun make up the Rockets’ current core. These timelines don’t seem aligned at all, but we’ve seen something like this before: when james lebron returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014, Kyrie Irving was 22 and Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson were 23.
James didn’t return to Cleveland, however, just to play with a bunch of kids. The Cavs traded Anthony Bennett, 21, and the 18-year-old Andrew Wiggins — at the time, the last two No. 1 draft picks — for Kevin Love. Months later, they swapped servers in a deal that brought back JR Smith and Imane Shumpert. If Harden ends up wanting to go back the same way, then the Rockets will have to consider not just whether or not they want to get back into the Beard business, but whether or not they want to give up on their rebuild in order to try to build a immediate competitor. The higher their pick in the 2023 draft, the more interesting this discussion becomes.
In 17 games this season, Harden is averaging 21.4 points, 10.9 assists and 6.6 rebounds in 37.8 minutes, with a 25.7 percent UPD and a true shooting percentage of 58.1%. He would lead the league in assists had he played enough games to be eligible.
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