James Harden Rockets Reunion Rumor: Why Houston Might Sign 76ers Star
It's been a little over a year since the Houston Rockets hit the reset button and traded James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets for a king's ransom.
A lot has changed since then, and Harden's playing for the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs.
Harden has struggled to find that same magic he had in Houston with his new team, but a 31-point performance to lead the Sixers to a Game 4 win reminded fans of the peak performance of the 2018 NBA MVP.
According to The Athletic, the Rockets have "made it clear" to Harden that they would be open to a reunion.
Harden has a $47 million player option for next season that he is likely to opt into. Should he opt in, Harden will become an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
To connect the dots, Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta alluded to the team making a "big move" by the 2023-24 season, the next time the Rockets do not hold control of their first round pick. That 2024 first round pick is only protected 1-4, otherwise it goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the infamous Russell Westbrook-Chris Paul trade.
Adding Harden to the squad a year from now to join the backcourt with Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. isn't the cleanest fit, but bringing back the second-best player in franchise history isn't easy to turn down, even if he is in his mid-30s.
As a team in rebuild mode, the Rockets are looking to take the top picks they have now and draft top tier talent and use the picks towards the middle of the decade to acquire a star player.
If the Rockets found a way to trade Harden for a boatload of picks only to sign him back two years later would be considered one of the biggest robberies in NBA history.
