The James Harden free-agent sweepstakes won't officially begin until he makes a decision on his player option, but the expectation is the former NBA MVP will test the market this summer.

B/R's Chris Haynes reported Harden intends to decline his $35.6 million option with the Philadelphia 76ers for 2023-24 and will be seeking a four-year contract.

It's not a complete surprise that Harden would want to secure a new long-term deal. He took a $15 million pay cut last season to re-sign with the Sixers and give them more flexibility to fill out the roster around himself and Joel Embiid.

This offseason might be Harden's last best chance to secure one more massive contract. The 33-year-old isn't the same player he was at his peak, but he still averaged an NBA-high 10.7 assists per game and shot 38.5 percent from three-point range in 58 starts this season.

Any speculation about where Harden might play next will almost certainly start with the team where Harden became a superstar and won an MVP award in 2017-18.

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets have been cited as a potential landing spot for Harden going back to a Christmas Day report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

"Harden and his inner circle have been openly weighing Houston in recent months, sources said, a remarkable possibility given that he requested and received a trade out of the franchise less than two years ago," Wojnarowski wrote.

One notable nugget from Haynes' report is that Harden "will only entertain suitors that present a competitive roster and the basketball freedom for the star to be himself" on the court.

The Rockets wouldn't seem to fit either criteria. They are already building around a young core with Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green.