James Harden Rockets Reunion Rumor: Why Houston Might Sign 76ers Star

James Harden's recent playoff performance has Rockets fans wondering if he could find himself back in Houston.

Jeremy Brener | May 9, 2022

It's been a little over a year since the Houston Rockets hit the reset button and traded James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets for a king's ransom.

James Harden

A lot has changed since then, and Harden's playing for the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs.

Harden has struggled to find that same magic he had in Houston with his new team, but a 31-point performance to lead the Sixers to a Game 4 win reminded fans of the peak performance of the 2018 NBA MVP.

According to The Athletic, the Rockets have "made it clear" to Harden that they would be open to a reunion.

Harden has a $47 million player option for next season that he is likely to opt into. Should he opt in, Harden will become an unrestricted free agent in 2023.

To connect the dots, Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta alluded to the team making a "big move" by the 2023-24 season, the next time the Rockets do not hold control of their first round pick. That 2024 first round pick is only protected 1-4, otherwise it goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the infamous Russell Westbrook-Chris Paul trade.

Adding Harden to the squad a year from now to join the backcourt with Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. isn't the cleanest fit, but bringing back the second-best player in franchise history isn't easy to turn down, even if he is in his mid-30s.

James Harden

As a team in rebuild mode, the Rockets are looking to take the top picks they have now and draft top tier talent and use the picks towards the middle of the decade to acquire a star player.

If the Rockets found a way to trade Harden for a boatload of picks only to sign him back two years later would be considered one of the biggest robberies in NBA history.

Published May 9, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.