James Harden is conflicted.
The star guard, whose career has included stops with the Thunder, Rockets, Nets and 76ers, is “seriously torn” between returning to Philadelphia and returning to Houston, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Wednesday.
Harden ostensibly will opt out of his 2023-24 player option with the 76ers and enter NBA free agency after a disappointing season for Philadelphia, which finished 54-28 but lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Boston Celtics.
The Philadelphia Inquirer previously reported that Harden was planning to leave the 76ers and return to the Rockets, with whom he played nine season and ascended to the ranks of the league’s elite, averaging 30 points three times and winning MVP in 2018.
Harden posted another individually successful season in 2022-23, averaging 21 points and leading the league with 10.7 assists per game.
A considerable number of those assists came on passes to 76ers superstar big man Joel Embiid, who won MVP after another dominant campaign.
The Sixers hope to keep their star combination intact.
James Harden has a player option with the 76ers for next season. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con“Scenario A would be to bring James back,” Philly GM Daryl Morey told reporters in May. “Scenario B, if he’s not back, will be we’ll have to get creative. And we feel good about the tools available to us if that happens.”
Harden, 33, is seeking a four-year deal that would allow him to play for a competitive team and enjoy the freedom to exercise his playing style on the court.
He would certainly have the ability to mold the Rockets, who posted a dismal 22-60 record last year and have a young roster headlined by Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr. and Alperen Sengun.
James Harden is “torn” about staying with the 76ers or returning to the Rockets. Getty ImagesHarden, whose mother still lives in Houston, holds the city in high esteem.
The feeling is reciprocated, according to Inquirer sources, who said that Harden is “treated like a god” in Houston.
“The love and feelings are mutual,” Harden said when the Sixers played the Rockets on Dec. 5 in Houston. “That’s never going to change. Like I said, I still own my home here. A lot of family still lives here.”
Harden would be joining newly-hired Rockets coach Ime Udoka in Houston, who was fired from the Celtics after news broke that he had an improper intimate relationship with and made “unwanted comments” to a team employee.
The Rockets own the No. 4 pick in the upcoming NBA draft.
