On April 21, Beijing time, Woj reported on the latest podcast that James Harden is likely to return to the Houston Rockets, and two factors determine whether he will leave the Philadelphia 76ers. With a $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season, Harden is eligible to jump out of his contract this summer and test the waters of the free agent market.
Woj said on the show: "James Harden's future in Philadelphia is very uncertain, and Houston (the Rockets) is a very likely option. Whether they (the Philadelphia 76ers) can succeed in the playoffs and give him a big contract will largely determine where Harden goes. ”
While Harden hasn't officially revealed whether he'll jump out of his contract, Harden hired a new agent in February, hinting that he will have important decisions in the offseason, according to previous reports from Shams. Harden hasn't hired a full-time agent since 2017, and his last agent was current Lakers general manager Pelinka. Harden is eligible for a five-year $270 million cap this summer.
Since the end of 2022, rumors of Harden's possible return to the Rockets have begun to appear, when Woj also reported that Harden was considering returning to the Rockets in the summer of 2023.
In March, Rockets reporter Iko reported that Harden was "serious" about returning to Houston, adding that the Rockets were also widely believed to be courting the former star if Harden did jump out of his contract.
The Rockets are also one of the teams with the most salary space this summer, with an expected minimum of $59 million in salary space, and teams can attack any target player. Iko said that in a perfect world, the Rockets will add 3-4 veterans this summer to immediately enter the rotation and contribute, and they need a point guard, a big man who guards the basket and a wing that is good offensive and defensive.
Harden played in 621 games in 9 seasons with the Rockets, averaging 29.6 points, 6 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game. In 2017-18, he was named regular season MVP. Harden's biggest regret with the Rockets is that he never made it to the NBA Finals, he reached the Western Conference Finals twice, and lost to the Warriors twice.