This season, one of the biggest storylines around the Philadelphia 76ers is James Harden’s potential looming free agency. The former MVP signed a deal last offseason that allows him to become an unrestricted free agent again this summer.
Just before the Sixers took the court on Christmas Day, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Harden might be entertaining a return to the Houston Rockets. Since then, there have been multiple stories regarding that possibility. Whether there is substance to these reports or not, the narrative itself is completely flawed.
Harden ascended to NBA superstardom during his time with the Houston Rockets. The highs were great, but things ended with some rough lows. After showing up to start the 2020-21 season completely out of shape, he was eventually traded to the Brooklyn Nets.
Part of why Harden wanted out was because it was clear the team was gearing for a rebuild. Houston now has a batch of young talent, but there have been minimal results thus far. This year, they are one of the NBA’s worst teams, with a record of 13-49 entering Friday’s games.
At this point in his career, Harden has done just about everything except win a championship. Securing a ring is one of the main reasons why he wanted to join forces with Joel Embiid in Philadelphia and took a massive pay cut on his current deal.
If competing for a title is truly his top priority, then there is no real chance of him signing with the Rockets as a free agent. Adding him to their roster would not be a quick fix that instantly makes them a competitive team. At best, they’d hover in mediocrity in a stacked Western Conference.
How James Harden would fit with Houston Rockets
As for the Rockets, their past actions have not proven that they’d welcome bringing in a ball-dominant star like Harden. Since the blockbuster deal with the Nets, they’ve focused solely on developing their young core centered around top picks Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr.
The biggest indicator of the Rockets’ stance is what they did with John Wall. Despite being fully healthy, they willingly sat the former All-Star to play younger guys ahead of him. After not wanting Wall to get in the way of Green’s development, signing Harden would be a head-scratching move. Adding him to the fold would completely take the ball out of the young guard’s hands and stunt his growth.
In a culture where rings have become the focal point, the idea of Harden leaving the Sixers to rejoin the Rockets is laughable. By the time the core is ready to compete, he might not even have anything left in the tank.
The only thing that gives this narrative any sort of juice is that Houston can offer Harden a max contract. At 33-years-old, it’s clear he is nearing the end of the road. This could give him one last chance to secure a big payday.
Only time will tell how this story ends, but there is no denying that these rumors have put even more pressure on the Sixers to be successful in the postseason. Coming up short again could completely derail the immediate future of the franchise.