The Houston Rockets will not offer a big contract to land their franchise star.

According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, the Rockets may not offer James “The Beard” Harden (guard, 6-foot-9, 196 pounds) anything more than a max contract.

The Rockets have emerged as a front-runner to land Harden this summer. At the same time, the Rockets are looking to add experience to their frontcourt in addition to Harden. The Rockets are looking to rebound with Harden, but they also want to diversify their roster rather than rely solely on him.

The labor agreement signed during the offseason tightened restrictions on salary cap increases. In addition to the existing first apron, a second apron has been created. This makes the sanctions for overspending even more severe. Assuming the Rockets land multiple superstars this time around, they may not overspend right away, but it could become a liability down the road.

Also, Harden’s ability to dominate like he did in his previous stint in Houston was limited. Locking Harden up for $35 million per year and adding other talent would give them both experience and skill. The team may not be able to make the leap to a championship right away, but a playoff run is certainly possible.

Recently, Harden reportedly met with Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse. Harden is still expected to weigh Houston and Philadelphia, and a move to a third team isn’t out of the question. However, with championship contenders already lined up, there doesn’t seem to be much chance of Harden going anywhere other than Houston.

Philadelphia also fired head coach Doc Rivers. This means they are weighing sitting Harden. The former head coach was somewhat unsuccessful in utilizing Harden and his existing players in big games. That’s why Philadelphia chose Nurse over Rivers. Nelson’s arrival could make Harden more inclined to stay rather than move on.

On the other hand, it’s natural for him to want to move to Houston. He may be hoping for a big contract this time around, but it would be great if the Rockets could step up their game. It won’t be easy to challenge for a title in the Western Conference, but if the Rockets can get Harden on the right terms, they’ll have a lot more leeway. They could be more aggressive in negotiations with free agents, as they have a lot of interest.토토사이트

Meanwhile, Harden re-signed with Philadelphia last summer. He agreed to a two-year, $68.6 million deal with Philadelphia. He has a player option for the final year of the deal. He could have easily gotten a deal in the neighborhood of $40 million per year. Instead, he accepted a deal worth $34.3 million per year and stayed with the team, but once again, they were far from winning.