Report: One team in West a ‘very real possibility’ for James Harden

James Harden is expected to decline his player option for next season and become a free agent this summer, and his future with the Philadelphia 76ers looks even less certain following another disappointing playoff exit. 

If Harden does decide to leave Philly, there is at least one Western Conference team to keep an eye on.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on “Get Up” Monday morning that there is a real chance Harden could return to the Houston Rockets in free agency.

“It was a real possibility back on Christmas and it remains so now. Houston is a very real possibility for James Harden in free agency,” Wojnarowski said. “They’ve got upwards of $60M in cap space. They want to be much better next season.”

Woj added that Harden has a “comfort level” in Houston and pushed his way out mostly because he wanted to contend for a championship. The Rockets have a young team and are in a position to potentially land the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, which would mean having an opportunity to draft 7-foot-2 French phenom Victor Wembanyama.

Even if the Rockets land the franchise-altering top draft pick, Wojnarowski believes they would still consider making a run at Harden. Though, he also notes that Harden could use Houston’s interest as leverage in long-term negotiations with the Sixers. You can hear more below: