The Houston Rockets are expected to pursue James Harden this offseason, as they look to return to playoff contention next year.
Harden could become a free agent this offseason, as he has a player option, and wouldn’t rule out the possibility to return to Houston, as the Rockets will have cap space flexibility (around $60M) to pursue him.
Houston is also part of the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes along with a number of other teams ahead of Tuesday’s Draft Lottery.
Should the Rockets win the lottery and get the No. 1 draft pick, they will most likely pick Wembanyama, but this doesn’t affect Harden’s status.
“If [the Rockets] win the lottery … and they’re the ones who can draft Victor Wembanyama, my sense is that would not necessarily change the Rockets’ intentions to pursue James Harden.”
.@wojespn says there's "a very real possibility" that James Harden returns to Houston 👀
"If [the Rockets] win the lottery … and they're the ones who can draft Victor Wembanyama, my sense is that would not necessarily change the Rockets' intentions to pursue James Harden." pic.twitter.com/TvIXpkYxD3
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 15, 2023
Harden said after the Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics and the elimination from the Eastern Conference Finals that he believes his team can bounce back and win, while he was asked to address his future, claiming that he hasn’t thought about it so far.
“I feel like we had a pretty solid team. Obviously, you always look to get better, whether it’s the personnel you have now or adding pieces. We’ll see how it goes,” Harden noted.
James Harden left the Rockets in January 2021 and has played for the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers since then.
