Woj has been reporting on James Harden’s potential Houston return since Christmas, but Keith Pompey Friday came out with a new update.

During the Houston coaching search, Rockets candidates were allegedly asked their opinion on coaching Harden:

The belief among NBA executives is that James Harden will rejoin the Houston Rockets this summer.

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

Sources have said his interest in returning to Houston is mutual and not a ploy to get a lucrative deal out of the Sixers. His mother still lives in the city. He has several business ventures there. And, as one source said, “he’s treated like a god in Houston.”

CYAAAAAAAA!

I’d rather punt on next season and watch how much Tyrese Maxey can develop and have Joel Embiid play 50 games than give Harden a four-year max. I think signing Harden would do more damage to the fanbase than not. Would the team be better with him than without? Of course. But I think Sixers fans could use a year off from basketball and it shouldn’t be that hard to forget about them. Half the city did it from 2012-15.

Think about it; the Eagles season runs through February. You have March Madness after it. Mix in some NFL Draft talk, which you know this city can do as people broke down Bijan Robinson for two weeks while the Sixers were actually playing good basketball. Then after the Draft you just need to pick up a hobby until the second week of May until you can focus on the Phillies, the shore, and Eagles training camp. Easy. No more worrying about all-bench lineups, MVP races, and young players getting buried on the bench. Remove that toxicity from your life.

It’s that easy. Tobias Harris’ contract comes off the books and you save that first rounder you’d have to attach to trade him. Josh Harris is up to his eyeballs in Commies stuff. Maybe we even get Embiid to fake some sort of foot injury and lock up a top-10 pick. I don’t think this is a crazy idea. Viewership and tickets are already going to be down next season so the Sixers might as well get in front of it. Sure, it’s hard to get veterans to tank like we just saw with the Flyers, but dammit you can try. It’s not a Process, it’s more like a Procedure.