The Philadelphia 76ers may be forced to see their team go through a massive change this summer as James Harden could be on the verge of leaving the team.
The 76ers have been unwilling to offer Harden the max unless another team forces them into doing it. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has said that we’re being sold on Harden going to Houston to make the 76ers pony up the max contract money on the offer sheet.
“The 76ers have not shown an appetite to pay Harden the max. That’s why they asked him to take a pay cut last year. The Rockets have the cap space. Do they do it? There has been a very hard rumor about Harden’s intent to go back to Houston and it makes you wonder if it’s being sold a little bit too hard. I guess we’re going to find out. The Sixers are not really motivated to pay him that max salary if they don’t think anybody else is going to do it.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYB82BeM2qE
Two things can be true at the same time. James Harden could be using the Rockets’ offer to entice the 76ers into giving him more money while also still looking at Houston as his No. 1 destination. If the Rockets’ offer is real, it doesn’t seem like the 76ers could convince him to stay even if they offered him a max.
Can The Philadelphia 76ers Maneuver Around This?
Harden going back to Houston seems like an inevitability at this point. Even though his championship prospects are the best in Philly, Houston has always treated him like a legend and will appreciate him even more if he comes back to be the veteran for their young core. He isn’t the MVP-level superstar anymore but he definitely will be a massive blow to the 76ers.
They have Tyrese Maxey ready to move into a full-time starting guard role alongside possibly De’Anthony Melton. The 76ers will be under some pressure to move on from Tobias Harris as his contract will expire at the end of the season and could fetch rotational players that the 76ers can surround Joel Embiid with. Either way, they would rather Harden stay with the franchise and will try their best to make it happen.
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