Skip to main content

James Harden Exercises Contract Option With 76ers As Trade Rumors Swirl

Photo: Instagram/James Harden

According to reports, James Harden has decided to exercise his contract option for next season with the Philadelphia 76ers, who are currently exploring trade possibilities for the veteran scorer.

A source familiar with the situation revealed to The Associated Press that Harden informed the 76ers of his decision before the midnight deadline. The source spoke anonymously as the decision had not been made public yet.

While the 33-year-old could have become a free agent by declining the option, the Sixers had the advantage of offering him a lucrative four-year, $210 million deal, surpassing any other team's offer by $8 million. Although there is no certainty regarding a trade, the anonymous source stated that Harden expressed a desire to win a championship, something he has yet to achieve in his career, either in Philadelphia or with another competitive team.

Photo: Instagram/James Harden

Philadelphia's recently appointed coach, Nick Nurse, as well as his teammate Tobias Harris, had openly supported Harden's return to the team. However, it seems that the prospect of playing as the second option behind NBA MVP Joel Embiid and pursuing a championship in Philadelphia is now unlikely.

During the previous season, Harden led the league in assists with an average of 10.7 per game. However, his inconsistent offensive performance frustrated Sixers fans and contributed to their elimination in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Boston Celtics.

Harden's scoring outputs varied greatly, with impressive performances of 45 and 42 points in Games 1 and 4 victories respectively, while also having struggles such as going 0 for 6 on three-pointers in Games 2 and 6. He scored only nine points in Game 7 and failed to score in the second half.

While Harden had thrived as a primary scorer in Houston, he has taken a more deferential role to Joel Embiid with the Sixers. If the team fails to re-sign Harden, they could encounter difficulties due to limited salary cap space, making it highly improbable to attract a quality free agent, especially one of Harden's caliber.

Consequently, the Sixers will now focus on acquiring assets through a trade, a pattern that has been a significant part of Harden's career. If a trade occurs, Harden would have to play under his 2023-24 contract as per NBA rules and would become eligible for free agency after the upcoming season.

Harden, a 10-time All-Star and a member of the league's 75th anniversary team, has been involved in previous trades, notably departing from Houston and Brooklyn. In the previous season, he declined his $47.4 million player option with the 76ers and instead agreed to a two-year deal worth $32 million for the 2022-23 season, including a player option for the following season.

This decision resulted in him earning approximately $14.5 million less than his previous contract would have provided.

Read Next: Ja Morant's Attorneys Claim Self-Defense In Motion To Dismiss Civil Suit By Teenager

Source: NBA 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Oscar De La Hoya Accuses Eddie Hearn of Favoritism And Personal Misconduct

Photo: Oscar De La Hoya, Eddie Hearn / Instagram   Oscar De La Hoya , a well-known boxing promoter, has made some serious accusations against Eddie Hearn, his fellow promoter. De La Hoya shared his thoughts in a now-deleted Instagram post during Thanksgiving, stirring up drama in the boxing world. De La Hoya first criticized Hearn’s handling of WBC Lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson . But things got personal when he mentioned rumors that Hearn is romantically involved with female boxer Skye Nicolson, who holds the WBC Featherweight title. According to De La Hoya, their relationship has been a topic of gossip in the boxing community since 2022. He went further, accusing Hearn of showing "preferential treatment" to Nicolson. De La Hoya pointed to a video of Hearn and Nicolson appearing "cozy" outside a club in Miami, claiming Hearn should have been focusing on promoting the big women's fight between Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor , instead of making moves for ...
Post a Comment
Read More

Ben Affleck Turns To Ex Jennifer Garner For Help After Split With Jennifer Lopez

Photo: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner / Instagram   Ben Affleck is looking ahead after his split from Jennifer Lopez and has reportedly turned to his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner , for support in finding love again. According to a report by Radar Online, Affleck has asked Garner to help him find a partner who is grounded and genuine. A source shared, “He’s ready for something real. Jennifer is great at spotting genuine people, and he trusts her judgment. He’s done with Hollywood divas and wants someone mature.” Garner, who shares three children with Affleck — Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12 — is reportedly happy to help. “She wants Ben to be happy and is glad to have a say in who he dates, as that person will be around their kids,” the insider added. Photo: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner / Instagram   Affleck and Garner were married for 13 years before divorcing in 2018 but have remained close, co-parenting their kids and supporting each other through challenges. Meanwhile...
Post a Comment
Read More

Khabib Nurmagomedov Reveals Justin Gaethje Hit Him Hardest In UFC Career

Photo: Khabib Nurmagomedov / Instagram Khabib Nurmagomedov , one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, has faced many tough opponents. But when it comes to punching power, he says no one hit harder than Justin Gaethje . The two fought at UFC 254 on October 24, 2020. It was Khabib’s last fight before retiring. During the bout, Gaethje landed heavy punches and kicks that Khabib admitted were painful. “He hit like a truck,” Khabib said on Mike Tyson ’s Hotboxin' podcast. “His left hook, right hook, uppercut—they all hurt. But I made him hit me because I knew he didn’t like wrestling. My plan was to tire him out by standing with him, then take him to the ground and finish the fight.” Photo: Khabib Nurmagomedov / Instagram Khabib ended the fight with a triangle choke submission. He explained he chose the move out of respect for Gaethje’s parents, who were watching. “I didn’t want to break his arm in front of his parents,” Khabib said. “So I put him to sleep instead. That’s better.” D...
Post a Comment
Read More