Day: June 19, 2023

This month, James Harden was reportedly “torn” on whether he will sign the Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets. There has been a growing momentum in recent days that Harden is now more likely to re-sign with the Sixers.

“The breaks have now been pumped, like slammed on, around the league to the point that I bet if you poll 50 front office executives, the majority of them would guess he’s going back to Philly,” said Zach Lowe on his podcast. “I don’t know what the hell is going to happen. We’ll see.”

Lowe also said that Philadelphia’s decision to part ways with Doc Rivers as head coach was the starting point in Harden appearing to reconsider remaining with the team. When the Sixers were eliminated in Games 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, there was a report that Harden’s future was closely tied to the team’s decision on Rivers.

The Rockets entered the offseason confident of their chances of signing Harden where they expected it.

If the Portland Trail Blazers trade the No. 3 pick to the New Orleans Pelicans, sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer that the belief is they would prefer Zion Williamson over Brandon Ingram.

Williamson would give the Blazers a pick-and-roll option with Damian Lillard. While Williamson has health and conditioning issues, he represents more upside for the Blazers than Ingram.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported last week that the Charlotte Hornets, who own the No. 2 pick, would prefer Ingram over Williamson.

The Hornets are deciding between Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson with the player who is passed upon setup to go No. 3, regardless of who is selecting.