James Harden Expected to Leave 76ers for Rockets, per Report

The point guard has played the past year-and-a-half in Philadelphia.

When the 76ers lost to the Celtics in Game 7 on Sunday, more than just Philadelphia’s season may have ended. Entering a crucial offseason, the Sixers may look a lot different next year, starting with the point guard position.

James Harden is expected to decline his player option and enter free agency, potentially looking for a four-year deal, and it doesn’t appear as though he will re-sign in Philadelphia. Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports many in the NBA believe Harden will return to the Rockets in the offseason once he hits the open market.

Harden spent the majority of his career in Houston, playing with the Rockets for parts of nine seasons. While there, Harden became one of the best players in the league, winning the scoring title for three consecutive seasons from 2017 to ’20 and leading Houston to two separate Western Conference finals appearances. He won the NBA MVP award with Houston in 2018.

The Rockets traded Harden to the Nets in the middle of the 2020–21 season, which fast-tracked a rebuild. Over the past three years, Houston has gone 59–177, earning a top four draft pick after each season,

Now, Houston has restocked its roster with young players like Jalen Green, Jabari Smith, Kevin Porter Jr. and Alperen Senguin, and have hired head coach Ime Udoka to get the team back into contention. Harden, who will be 34 by the time the season starts, would be the elder statesman of the roster. 

After playing for the Nets for about a year, Harden spent the last year-and-a-half in Philadelphia. He is coming off a season where he averaged 21 points and a league-high 10.7 assists in 58 games for the Sixers.