1. James Harden
There has been a laughable amount of smoke around James Harden potentially rejoining the Houston Rockets this summer. The noise around that potential reunion will only get louder after Harden’s Game 7 no-show. The Sixers lost in the second round again and the entire fanbase is about to fervently turn against him. Have the comforts of home ever sounded better?
The Sixers probably want Harden back. Given their lack of financial flexibility, there’s not much they can do to replace his playmaking in the backcourt. Say what you will about Harden, but he was a top-15 regular season player and absolutely integral to Philly’s top-3 finish in the East. A lot of the anti-Harden reactions are going to be strong, and justifiably so. But Philadelphia can’t let feelings overcome logic in free agency.
None of that really matters if Harden wants to leave, though. And that Game 7 felt like an appropriately miserable send-off. The Rockets signed Ime Udoka, a widely respected head coach who spent time with Harden in Brooklyn. There has been reporting on Houston’s conversations with coaching candidates about bringing Harden back. It’s happening. Time for Philly fans to prepare mentally. I’m sure many already have. Many probably welcome the change.
Harden gave the Sixers two good-to-great seasons, but he came up short when it mattered most. A lot of other conversations will happen around this team in the weeks to come, but frankly, a Harden exodus is exponentially more likely than Embiid demanding a trade. It might even be more likely than Doc Rivers getting fired.