Former Auburn star trying to recruit the top NBA free agent

Former Auburn basketball star Jabari Smith wants the top NBA free agent on the market during the 2023 offseason, James Harden, to return to the Houston Rockets — saying as much to HoopsHype’s Dionysis Aravantinos.

“Come back home,” Smith pleaded to Harden. “He did so much for that city; there’s still so much love for him in Houston. It would definitely feel like home for him if he came back. …. That’d be great. The team would want a Hall of Famer. It’s promising, but we’re not just banking on that. We’re still focused on us and how we can improve as a team.”

Harden could be in line for a four-year, $210 million contract from his current team, the Philadelphia 76ers, but the Rockets loom large as a threat due to the All-NBA guard’s previous MVP-producing stint in the Space City.

Former Auburn basketball star still not bitter about being shafted with top two picks in 2022 NBA draft

One of the bigger draft night shocks in 2022 was the former Auburn basketball star Smith slipping down to the No. 3 spot after the Orlando Magic took Paolo Banchero and the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Chet Holmgren. Smith shared with Aravantinos that he wasn’t bitter about that happening, and was in fact thankful.

“I definitely use it as extra motivation, but as far as a disappointment, no,” Smith said. “Still the best day of my life up to this point. I was mad at the moment, but looking back on it, it’s nothing to feel bad about. It’s a business, stuff that goes into it, and that’s the decision they made.”

Keeping a positive attitude and actively rooting for the improvement of his team, Smith is carrying the traits that being on the Plains instilled in him as he represents AU at the highest level on the hardwood.