Houston is positioned to have around $60 million in salary cap space this offseason. That’s great for Harden, who intends to opt out of his $35.6 million deal for next season with the Sixers and become a free agent. Sources have said his interest in returning to Houston is mutual and not a ploy to get a lucrative deal out of the Sixers. His mother still lives in the city. He has several business ventures there. And, as one source said, “he’s treated like a god in Houston.”