Shams: James Harden 'Torn' on Returning to 76ers, Joining Rockets in NBA Free Agency
One of the central questions in the upcoming NBA offseason has centered upon veteran point guard James Harden.
Will he stay in Philadelphia and chase championships with Joel Embiid, or will he return to the Houston Rockets and hope they are able to surround him with enough talent to contend for playoff appearances?
The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania appeared on The Ryen Russillo Podcast Tuesday and said he believes Harden is "torn" (9:19 mark):
"I don't think he knows, as far as what I know about his mindset. ... I really think that he's torn with the prospect of staying in Philadelphia or moving on to Houston potentially and returning back to his home. That's where his roots are, his family is there, of course. They've got upwards of [$60 million in cap space], they could make even more money available—close to $70 million in cap space—so they're going to have a ton of money. And this is a team, in Houston, I do believe they're going to be aggressive in the marketplace."
The edge the Sixers have is Embiid. Barring some sort of shocking trade, the Rockets wouldn't be able to pair Harden with an MVP-winning superstar on the level of the Sixers' transcendent center.
The Sixers also have a new head coach in Nick Nurse, a former title-winner with the Toronto Raptors, and a strong supporting cast highlighted by players like Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, P.J. Tucker and De'Anthony Melton. The talent is in place, right now, to compete for championships.
The Rockets have a lot of cap space, but none of the top potential free agents on the market—Kyrie Irving (there's no way Harden is going to sign up for another go-around with his mercurial former teammate), Kristaps Porziņģis, Fred VanVleet, Khris Middleton, Draymond Green, Jerami Grant, Nikola Vučević, etc.—move the championship needle like Embiid.
Granted, the Rockets have enough intriguing young players and future draft capital to be major players if any superstars try to force their way to a new situation via trade. Some combination of signings and trades could have the Rockets in position to be instant contenders around Harden.
But that requires an aggressive offseason from Houston and a lot of moves going its way. The Sixers, meanwhile, are already built to compete.
Houston's edge, of course, is the years Harden spent in the city and his familiarity and comfort with the area and franchise. There's no place like home, as the cliche goes.
Granted, it's possible the rumors linking Harden to Houston are simply a leverage play from the star point guard as he looks to secure a max deal with Philly. His partnership with Embiid was incredibly fruitful—Embiid was this past season's scoring champ (33.1 PPG) and Harden was its most effective playmaker (10.7 APG).
From a purely basketball standpoint, Philly is a better option for Harden than Houston, at least at the moment. But a lot can change in the course of an NBA offseason.
