James Harden had interest in returning to the Houston Rockets this offseason, but their focus was increasingly upon Fred VanVleet at guard, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
VanVleet declined his $22.8 million player option with the Toronto Raptors.
Harden will look for a trade to a contending team after exercising his opt-in with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Sixers do not have Harden in their long-term plans, which became evident as they explored contractual scenarios.
