Star guard James Harden is considering a return to the Houston Rockets if he can’t reach an agreement with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to ESPN.
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The star player could become a free agent this summer.
According to the American network, he would study the possibility of joining his old formation for a few months. Harden had left the Texas team at odds with the leaders. He had made his way to New York to play with the Nets before being traded to the 76ers.
The Sixers traded Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and two first-round picks to win him.
Harden spent more than eight seasons with the Rockets. During his journey, he received an NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2018 and also reached the Western Conference Finals. The primary prospect is second in points in franchise history behind Hakeem Olajuwon, and he is first in assists.
Sources say the community and city of Houston are particularly attractive to the 33-year-old.
Harden is currently making it rain or shine with teammate Joel Embiid. He’s averaged 21.9 points, 2.6 threes and 10.9 assists per game since the start of the season. His team is fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 19-12 record. For their part, the Rockets are bottom of the Western Conference with just nine wins and 23 losses.
Harden signed a two-year, $68.6 million contract with the Sixers. The deal includes “a player option” for the 2023 season that Harden could take advantage of. The latter will therefore have the opportunity to decide whether to continue the adventure with his current team or to test the independent player market.