Getty James Harden #1 and Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Heading into free agency, the biggest question for the Philadelphia 76ers was what will happen with James Harden. The All-Star guard had the choice to opt into his $47 million player option or become an unrestricted free agent.
Right at the deadline to make a decision, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Harden declined his option. While he intends to remain with the Sixers, he plans to structure a more team-friendly deal to help Daryl Morey put a stronger supporting cast around him and Joel Embiid.
It’s rare for a star player to turn down a big payday, but Harden is fully committed to chasing the championship ring that has eluded him his entire career. Following this news, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst applauded him for his decision.
One of the things that happens in the NBA, you get guys coming into their mid-thirties, and Harden’s going to turn 33 before next season. One of the hardest things to deal with, and you can ask the Los Angeles Lakers about this, is a star player who is past his prime, who doesn’t recognize it. James Harden, I will give him this, he’s still got to be better, but he recognizes it.
While he might not be the prolific scorer he was in Houston, Harden has found other ways to be a high-impact player. As the strain of a long career catches up to him, the former MVP has shifted to maximizing his elite-level IQ as a playmaker. Harden’s 10.3 assists per game were good for second-best in the association behind Chris Paul and marked consecutive seasons of averaging at least ten assists.
Chris Broussard Takes Unwarranted Jab at James Harden
Brian Windhorst was not the only analyst to tip their cap to Harden for declining his player option. FS1’s Chris Broussard applauded the move, but was quick to make an unwarranted dig at the Sixers star.
“It was nice of James Harden to give up $ for the Sixers to improve their roster; it’d be even nicer of him to get busy in big playoff games,” he Tweeted. Attached to the Tweet was a clip of him doubling down that he’ll be more impressed when Harden comes up big in the postseason.
In his first postseason run with the Sixers, Harden averaged 18.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 8.6 APG. Harden’s most lackluster showing came in the elimination game against the Miami Heat, where he attempted just nine shots in 43 minutes en route to scoring 11 points.
Daryl Morey Not Done Re-Tooling Sixers’ Roster
With Harden taking less money, Morey has a little more cap space to work with in free agency. He wasted little time putting it to use, as the Sixers signed veterans P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr. during the initial frenzy of moves.
Numerous reports have come out that the Sixers are shopping multiple players in trades, and that still seems to be the case. Brian Windhorst also said on ESPN that the team could still add multiple players in the coming week.
By the way, they’ve been all over the place in trade talks. They’re talking about Thybulle, they’re talking about Tobias Harris, they’re talking to all kinds of teams… They’re going to bring in three to five new players. It was opened up by Harden willing to do this.