James Harden Rumors: 76ers Star Expected to Sign Rockets Contract in NBA Free Agency

The long-rumored reunion between James Harden and the Houston Rockets is expected to become a reality in free agency this summer.

Per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, there's a belief among NBA executives that Harden will opt out of his deal with the Philadelphia 76ers to sign with the Houston Rockets.

Pompey also noted the interest between Harden and the Rockets is mutual "and not a ploy to get a lucrative deal out of the Sixers."

The flirtation between Harden and his former club became public on Christmas Day when ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the 10-time All-Star was "seriously considering" a return to Houston.

Rumblings about a reunion have been going on in the months since that initial report. They picked up steam recently in the wake of Philadelphia's 112-88 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon said on a recent episode of The Lowe Post podcast (starts at 17:02 mark) the Rockets "think he's coming" when discussing Harden.

Harden signed a two-year, $68.6 million contract with the 76ers last offseason that includes a $35.6 million player option for 2023-24. He agreed to take a $15 million pay cut last season in order to help Philadelphia's front office add talent with the hope of winning a championship.

Now that it appears likely Harden will turn down his 2023-24 option, the next step will be figuring out what kind of deal he'll sign this summer.

Pompey noted Harden can sign for a maximum of four years and $210 million if he re-signs with Philadelphia or $201.7 million if he signs with another club.

ESPN's Bobby Marks noted the Rockets will likely have the most cap space in the NBA this offseason with around $60 million to spend.

It's unclear if the Rockets would have to give a max deal to the 33-year-old Harden, but the option is at least available to them without having to sacrifice anything significant on their roster.

Even this version of Harden would be a huge upgrade in the backcourt for a Rockets team that has been trying to find someone who can play with Kevin Porter Jr. Jalen Green's shooting efficiency took a step back this season, though he did lead the team in scoring with 22.1 points per game.

New head coach Ime Udoka has a lot of work ahead of him with a roster that was the second-youngest in the NBA for the 2022-23 season.

Harden's lack of consistency can make him frustrating at times, but he would give the Rockets a centerpiece on offense that opposing defenses have to respect.