After missing out on a month?s action due to an injury, Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden made his debut against his former team, the Houston Rockets. Starting the game in the fifth position in the Eastern Conference, the 76ers looked to improve their team record even further as they hoped to defeat the Rockets on their home turf.?
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However, an image posted before the game managed to grab the attention away from Harden?s return. A picture posted by Felicia Stone managed to spark trade rumors between the Houston Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Trade rumors sparked by fans
In the picture, current Rockets GM Rafael Stone was walking along with former GM of the Rockets and the current 76ers President of basketball operations, Daryl Morey. And that was enough for fans to speculate what conversation might?ve gone down between the two.
One of the very first tweets that managed to grab anyone?s attention was, ?Embiid to Houston confirmed.? Whereas one fan pointed out that Daryl is still in favor of the Houston Rockets saying, ?Daryl was always playing the long game for Houston.?
Embiid to Houston confirmed https://t.co/VGIzaGplrR
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) December 5, 2022
Daryl was always playing the long game for Houston 🥹
— Harden PTSD 😖 (@oxbrady_) December 5, 2022
Here are some more reactions from Twitter.
Queen stirring up the fans 😆🤣😂 pic.twitter.com/8kwmQCCgjD
— Bryce (@dubythechef) December 5, 2022
Let the trades begin… pic.twitter.com/pOGSEXhfz7
— Kos NBA (@KosNBA) December 5, 2022
2 dudes responsible for our garbage team. It's hilarious and fitting DM is failing in Philly with the best big man in the league.
— Fred L (@frl713) December 5, 2022
Working on that Harden to Houston trade for next year I see 🤫🫡
— Scola's hairband is a top three mystery (@hautehamwater) December 5, 2022
Both teams are currently in the experimental phase right now. So any trade between the two is highly unlikely.
The Philadelphia 76ers would not want to shake their core of Harden, Embiid, Harris, and Melton. The front office would like to see where this core goes before they decide to disband it and cover their losses.
Whereas, Houston on the other hand has a young group of potential star players. So, for the Rockets to trade away a legitimate future star for an aging one does not seem feasible for them either.
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Philadelphia would keep both Joel Embiid and James Harden
Joel Embiid and James Harden were finally able to complement each other?s game on the floor. Not in a literal one-two punch combo but both players took the offensive load onto them when the other was out.
Well, at least that is what Embiid did during Harden?s absence. James Harden had last played against the Washington Wizards at the start of November. However, fans hoping for a big game from ?The Beard? were left disappointed as Harden scored 18 points on 20% FG% in a disappointing loss for the 76ers.
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Watch This Story – James Harden, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and other NBA stars who have played in the drew league
And since it is Harden?s former team, he still refers to it as ?home.? Harden now will be hoping to get his rhythm back over the next few games.