The Philadelphia 76ers are 17-12 this season, third in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers have been hit with injuries this season and their best players have all missed time. One of those players is James Harden, who has missed 14 games this season and played in 15. The ten-time All-Star’s ultimate goal is to win an NBA championship, but he has been linked with the Houston Rockets.
Harden is in his second season with the Sixers and has only played 36 games. 15 of them were last year and the other 21 came after the trade deadline when the Sixers traded Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and two unexpected first-round picks for James Harden. Insiders have linked Harden to the Rockets if he fails to win a championship this season.
NBA betting sites have the Sixers at (+2000) to win the Finals this season.
Serving some scones mid-week. 🍽️
🕖 7:00PM
📺 @NBCSPhilly
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— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 21, 2022
If this season doesn’t work out, James Harden could return to Houston for 2023-24.
James Harden spent nine seasons with the Houston Rockets, playing in 621 of his 957 career games. This is a franchise where Harden was a three-time scoring champion and won the 2017-18 league MVP. Earlier this season, Harden expressed how all that was left for him was to win a title in the NBA. He left Houston to pursue that dream with the Nets and left after two seasons, now heading home for his sixth.
On an ESPN podcast, Tim McMahon said James Harden’s return to Houston next season is a possibility.
“They got $60 million in cap space this summer. This is not Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City or San Antonio. This is Houston, a demanding market for free agents … There’s already been a lot of talk and connecting the dots, ‘Hey, if things don’t work out in Philly, pursue James Harden back to Houston.’” – Tim McMahon
McMahon mentions how this may seem far-fetched for both sides, but crazy things have happened in the NBA. The Sixers will be at home tonight to take on the Detroit Pistons.
