The Philadelphia 76ers won Game 3 on Friday, avoiding the dreaded 3-0 series hole that no team has ever come back from.
While James Harden had a decent game, it was far from the performance we would expect to see from a former MVP. Sadly, that has been the story of the past few months for Philly, who are expected to re-sign Harden this summer.
On SiriusXM NBA Radio this week, Charles Barkley questioned the decision to trade for Harden and said it’s a move the Sixers will come to regret.
“The reason I didn’t like the trade is two things,” said Barkley. “The Sixers have a two-year window. Cause James is clearly in decline. But if you don’t win this year, I think you gotta offer him $45 million next year and then they can sign that 4-year extension for $200 million. First of all, if the Sixers give him that money, they should fire whoever gives him that contract because that’ll kill the franchise for the next 10-15 years. The reason I didn’t like the trade, I said ‘I don’t think they’re gonna win a Championship in the next two years and they gonna waste two years of Joel Embiid. Now you got the injury this season. James got a $45 million option which he’s gonna take. And let me tell you if the Sixers give him that four-year, $200 million deal… James hasn’t had 30 points in the last 35 games. So, I just think he’s on a decline and, man, the Sixers they’re gonna regret that trade.”
Charles Barkley tells Justin Termine and Eddie Johnson why the 76ers should not give James Harden a long-term deal#NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/131Y90LWVw
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) May 7, 2022
Harden, 32, hasn’t been the same since he left Houston. Instead of his usual display of offensive brilliance, he’s been taking fewer shots and scoring a whole lot less. Through 21 games for the Sixers, Harden averaged 21 points, 10.5 assists, and 7.1 rebounds per game on 40.2% shooting.
In these playoffs, he’s had similarly poor numbers and the 76ers are suffering because of it.
The question is, can Harden snap out of this funk, or is this level of play the new normal for him? For Philly’s sake, they better hope not, or it could spell disaster for their title chances.
