2. James Harden
For a good portion of the last couple of months, there was a growing belief around the NBA that James Harden was going to leave the Philadelphia 76ers and sign with the Houston Rockets, a team that is looking to make a splash this summer in free agency. However, over the past couple of weeks, that belief has very much cooled. So much so that now the expectation is that Harden is going to re-sign with the Sixers in free agency.
At least thus far, the Sixers have had a quiet start to the offseason. And that is probably a good thing. They don’t have a ton of financial flexibility heading into the summer but even if they just make a small move or two and retain Harden, it would be a pretty successful offseason for Philadelphia.
At this point, with everything that’s been reported recently, it feels like it would be a shock if Harden didn’t re-sign with the Sixers. If I had to guess, I’d imagine that the two sides agree to a rich, two-year deal with an option for a third.
Prediction: Philadelphia 76ers