If James Harden leaves for the Rockets, how will his Sixers tenure be remembered?

BOSTON — It’s no secret that James Harden could possibly be returning to the Houston Rockets.

The 76ers point guard is said to be interested in playing for the franchise with which he won the 2018 MVP and three scoring titles. Harden has until June 29 to opt out of the $35.6 million deal for next season and become a free agent.

If he does leave, how will his tenure in Philadelphia be judged? It’s not an easy answer.

The Sixers acquired Harden in February 2021 from the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster trade for Ben Simmons. The hope was that he would help catapult the team into an NBA Finals appearance. Now, two postseason appearances later, the team still has a second-round ceiling.

» READ MORE: Could Sunday’s Game 7 loss to Boston be Doc Rivers’ last as Sixers’ coach?

On Sunday, the Sixers suffered an embarrassing 112-88 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the conference semifinals at TD Garden. The Sixers have now failed to win a second-round series for the 12th time in the franchise’s last 13 appearances, dating to 1986.

Harden led the league in assists this season at 10.7 per game. He is the first Sixer to win the NBA assist title since Wilt Chamberlain in 1967-68. Harden and MVP Joel Embiid, who won his second straight scoring title, formed one of the league’s best duos.

But some critics say you can’t win a championship with Harden.

They’ll use the 33-year-old’s recent trip to Las Vegas and other off-day ventures out of town as examples of him not being dedicated to the game. They’ll talk about his history of struggling in winner-takes-all Game 7s.

So one can only imagine the talk surrounding Harden after he scored just nine points on 3-for-11 shooting to go with five turnovers in Sunday’s Game 7 thumping.

Yet his supporters will talk about him winning two series games for the Sixers.

They’ll tell you he had an epic performance in Game 1 with Embiid sidelined with a sprained right knee ligament. Harden had a game-high 45 points, tying a career playoff high. He also tied a season high with seven three-pointers in the 119-115 victory. He had 15 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead basket with 8.4 seconds left.

They’ll tell you Harden had game highs of 42 points, nine assists, and four steals in the 116-115 Game 4 victory. His wide-open 24-foot three-pointer in front of the Sixers bench with 19 seconds left was the game-winner to cap his best home game as Sixer.

And they’ll tell you Harden is the hardest worker the Sixers have had in some time. He’s routinely the last person out of the gym.

» READ MORE: Same old Sixers: Joel Embiid, James Harden sink as Celtics’ Jayson Tatum soars in Game 7 loss

But after Sunday’s game, Harden was brief when the topic turned to this summer’s decision.

“I haven’t even thought about it,” he said as a way to change the subject.

But what type of opportunity is Harden looking for?

In Houston, he was a lethal first-option scorer. Nowadays, he’s more of a facilitator, one who took a $15 million pay cut so the team could sign P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr.

“I told myself this year, man, ‘I’m going to be willing to sacrifice,’” Harden said last month. “Whether it’s the money or my role, just letting everything go and just sacrificing and see what it gives me, you know? I’m not the type of person that’s naive or I’m not the type of person that’s just ... I listen and I can go out there and just be for the betterment of the team.”

While he struggled on Sunday, his selfless play was a major reason the Sixers were one of the league’s hottest teams heading into the playoffs.

Perhaps that’s why Embiid spoke as if he and Harden have more to accomplish following Sunday’s disheartening loss.

“We’ve got an unfinished job,” Embiid said. “We haven’t won anything and I think we’ve got the chance to win. Obviously, going to seven games and having the chance to close it out at home [in Game 6], which we didn’t do, I still believe that we’ve got the chance to win. We’ve got what it takes to win.”

» READ MORE: Sixers vs. Celtics Game 7 takeaways: Sixers lack toughness, fight, and answers

But the whispers of Harden’s potential return to Houston are only going to become louder over the coming weeks.

The Rockets are rebuilding, but they have the available salary-cap space to give Harden a lucrative contract. Meanwhile, he’ll have a better chance to win an NBA title with the Sixers.

So what does he want his next opportunity to look like?

“I just want to have a chance to obviously compete,” he finished. “Yeah. Compete.”

So, if he leaves for Houston, how will his Sixers’ tenure be judged? Will it be the lasting image of Sunday’s Game 7 failure or will it be the mastery he displayed during the regular season?