Speaking of Harden, let's get to some other noteworthy Sixers angles for the week and beyond. Harden returning to the Sixers on a team-friendly deal remains the focus of Philadelphia's offseason, and it looks increasingly likely that they might be able to make that happen. The Houston Rockets are Harden's biggest suitor outside of Philadelphia, but the indication is that they are not willing to go over the top with years or dollars to sign him specifically. Sources told PhillyVoice that Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta wants to establish a more solid culture alongside the arrival of head coach Ime Udoka, and Houston has shown interest in free agents Fred Van Vleet, Brook Lopez, and Dillon Brooks among others.
AI is taking over. Everything you write will be "corrected" to what they deem intelligible. If it thinks "breaks" is better than "brakes" in that context, "breaks" it is. If it thinks "not pick" is better than "nitpick" then "not pick" it is.
Yes, creating an expiring is nice, that's a good point, but we can't predict when good trades come along. Having Harden as a trade piece will always be net positive, yes, but I don't know that we'll be ready when Harden is in the middle of his contract. The short end of the stick goes to Harden, he should be ring-chasing.
Harden news have taken a turn, there is actually something happening in the NBA not named Harden. Harden FA is not controlling the market.
3 years ago, Harden as a UFA would dominate the scene as the year's sweepstake. Now, it seems not that many teams are interested. I wonder how much he ends up getting.
https://theathletic.com/4640012/2023/06/26/nba-free-agency-news-rumors-damian-lillard-james-harden/ James Harden and the leverage game This James Harden free agency situation is one of the stranger ones I can remember. At face value, it makes very little sense for the 10-time All-Star and former MVP to head back to Houston rather than re-sign in Philadelphia. He forced his way out of a Rockets uniform in 2020, in large part, because their title-contention window had been slammed shut. And even if he returns, and if another high-level player or two joins him by way of the Rockets’ $60 million in cap space, you won’t find any objective viewers predicting a reopening of said window anytime soon. Meanwhile, the Sixers offer the complementary services of a reigning MVP in Joel Embiid, a longtime ally and friend in president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, and a new coach in Nick Nurse who has a championship resume and Rockets roots to boot (he was the franchise’s G League coach from 2011-13). And while their inability to break through to that next level on the playoff stage has surely sparked frustration, it’s indisputable that the Sixers would remain among the Eastern Conference elite if he remains. Yet as we chronicled back in early March, there is an undeniable connection between Harden and that region of Texas that might ultimately be the final factor in his decision. But even beyond the vast contrast between the state of each franchise — an established Eastern Conference power vs. the rebuilding Rockets — it’s the leverage game that makes this all so compelling. Each team, it has seemed at times, views the other as nothing more than a pawn whose main role is to help Harden get the biggest and best deal possible. Only Harden and his inner circle truly know which way he is leaning, but a source close to him reconfirmed that the Rockets remain a serious possibility. And yes, as you may have wondered, that’s still the case with Houston deciding to add guard Amen Thompson out of the Overtime Elite program with the fourth pick (they added forward Cam Whitmore out of Villanova at No. 20 as well).
Still working the negotiating table to get that contract he wants. Still refusing to believe anything until he signs somewhere.
“I would never guarantee anything in the modern NBA but I would be surprised if Harden wasn’t a Sixer and locked in in the first few days of free agency this weekend.” — Windhorst
