Philadelphia 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey reports that James Harden is expected to reunite with the Houston Rockets in free agency.

Harden, who has spent the past two years in Philadelphia, intends to opt out of his $35.5 million player option for next season and become a free agent.

As Pompey writes:

“Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta loves the 76ers point guard. The franchise expects to reunite with him. Before the Rockets hired Ime Udoka on April 25, head coaching candidates were asked for their opinion on coaching Harden during the interview process.”

The 33-year-old played eight-plus seasons for the Rockets (2012-2021), where he became a perennial All-Star, a three-time scoring champion, and league MVP in 2018. Harden is Houston’s all-time leader in three-point field goals and assists, while his 18,365 points rank second behind Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon (26,511).

The Beard would be the unquestioned leader of a young Rockets squad that finished the 2022-23 season with a 22-60 record and currently holds the fourth overall selection in the 2023 NBA Draft.

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