3 reasons the 76ers can't afford to allow the Rockets to poach James Harden

The Houston Rockets and James Harden seem poised for a relationship do-over, based on everything we've heard through the national media. Harden is declining a player option worth $35.6 million in hopes of landing a four-year deal worth more than $200 million.

The Rockets find themselves seeking to transition to phase two of their rebuild, which they hope will include postseason play. This would obviously be a stark difference from what we've seen from the Rockets over the last three seasons, in which they've gone 59-177, winning just 33 percent of their games.

The Rockets know they won't be able to reel in an A-level free agent this summer, without overpaying, outside of Harden. The Sixers, on the other hand, possess the league's MVP in Joel Embiid and certainly want to maximize on the window in which he's in his prime.

For this reason, amongst others, the Sixers can't allow the Rockets to poach Harden from them. Let's dive into the other reasons.