When James Harden joined the Philadelphia 76ers after being traded from the Brooklyn Nets, the NBA world went into a frenzy. Joel Embiid finally had a superstar to play next to him, and the Sixers looked primed for take-off. A sensational start further amped up the excitement around the team, but things went downhill pretty soon after.
Harden failed to live up to the hype as the season went on, and it got even worse in the playoffs, as he averaged just 18.6 points per game. It was his lowest scoring average in a single postseason since 2012, and he went out with a whimper in Game 6 against the Miami Heat in the Conference Semifinals as well. That has left many wondering if the Sixers should want to sign up Harden on a long-term extension.
From Harden’s perspective, he has a $47.4 million player option that he can opt into and the deadline for it is the 29th of June. There are a few ways to look at this here for Harden. He can either opt-in and have a great season which he can parlay into a big extension, but that does come with the risk of what might happen if he doesn’t play at a high level. He can also opt-in and sign an extension, but with the Sixers unlikely to pay him the max, that might be off the table as well.
Lastly, he can decline that option and test free agency, which would leave the Sixers in a tough spot, not that they are already not in one. Harden might find some team that’d be willing to fork out the big bucks to get him on board, and the Sixers would have to match that offer, or they risk having given up Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and some draft picks for just half a season of Harden. It does come down in the end to what Harden wants, really. Staying with the Sixers gives him his best shot at a title than moving to some lesser team for more money, and we will soon find out what his priorities are.
