The rumors have been floating since December that James Harden is looking at returning to Houston and playing for the Rockets to end his career. Examining that idea closely, it seems more like a negotiating ploy than a real threat.
A hat tip to the new WIP Morning Show for bringing up the Harden ‘smokescreen’, but I had been thinking about James Harden’s situation for a while and how going back to Houston seems like a crock.
To put it bluntly:
Houston bringing back Harden makes zero sense for them, unless on a short, cheap contract, which he would not agree to.
Even more to the point:
No team in the NBA except the 76ers has any interest in paying James Harden a lot of money. He has no interest around the league.
The Harden-to-Houston is an invention of Harden’s camp to try and make the Sixers scared enough of losing him to give him a fat payday. Can’t blame them for trying.
Basically, it is a ruse.
Yes, the Inquirer’s Keith Pompey says his sources say the rest of the NBA thinks Harden is going to Houston.
Sixers’ James Harden expected to reunite with Rockets in free agency, sources say https://t.co/NFOB9pyxmc via @phillyinquirer
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) May 19, 2023
And Keith usually has good sources. I am sure this is what other NBA executives are telling him – because that is what Harden’s camp is telling them.
But if you look at it, there is no way.