With new head coach Ime Udoka in the fold, Houston appears eager to accelerate their rebuild this offseason by adding veteran pieces around a rising young core made up of Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Şengün. 

Harden and Irving spent two highly-erratic seasons together with the Nets, appearing in less than 40 games concurrently before Harden forced his way out of Brooklyn midway through the 2021-22 season. Harden has long been perceived as the apple of Houston’s eye. With that said, Irving would be an intriguing alternative for a Rockets team hungry for a primary ballhandler. 

Kevin Porter Jr. is currently penciled in as the team’s starting point guard and is fresh off a career-high 19.2 PPG scoring average, but the USC product isn’t what you would deem a natural point guard and could arguably offer a higher ceiling as a shooting guard. 

As for Irving, you would be hard-pressed to find five better players at the point guard position league-wide. Baggage aside, Irving remains dominant on the court, averaging 27.1 points on 49.4% shooting while notching 5.5 assists per game with the Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets during the 2022-23 season.   

Irving’s age and play level make him better suited for a multi-year deal in free agency than Harden. The 31-year-old Irving will be three years younger than Harden, who turns 34 in August, at the start of next season. Irving has averaged at least 26.9 points and 5.5 assists in four consecutive campaigns. 

Harden, on the other hand, has seen his scoring average drop by 13.3 PPG over the three seasons since his league-leading 34.3 PPG average in 2019-20.