The Philadelphia 76ers’ offseason saga continues.
Superstar James Harden intends to decline his $35.6 million player option and become an unrestricted free agent this summer, according to multiple reports, with Bleacher Report sources saying he’s looking for a long-term deal.
Harden will only be considering suitors that present a competitive roster and the basketball freedom for Harden to play his game, per Bleacher Report.
Harden, a ten-time All-Star, is seeking a four-year contract coming off a season averaging 21 points, 6.1 rebounds and a league leading 10.7 assists — and the Sixers “have interest” in keeping him in the fold.
“We have to plan for every scenario,” GM Daryl Morey told reporters Wednesday. “And, for sure, [Harden] has the option to be a free agent, and so we have to plan for all those scenarios. And we feel like that’s a scenario where we can continue to move forward.
“Look, we have to remember there’s like 26 teams that would rather have our roster. We’re starting with the MVP in the league.”
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Harden took a sizable pay cut last offseason with The Sixers, though he reportedly had issues with coach Doc Rivers — who was axed by Philly on Tuesday after an embarrassing 112-88 loss to the Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday.
Harden appeared to refute the report of Rivers unease with a cryptic Instagram post.
“Experts don’t really be experts,” he wrote Wednesday morning.
That could very well be in Philly, coming off a third-place regular-season finish in the East, where the reigning league MVP resides in Joel Embiid and a new coach could change the dynamic.
Another option could be in Houston, a city where Harden won his own MVP hardware with the Rockets in 2018.
Some roster reconstruction would likely be needed to entice Harden back to Houston, with the Rockets having a promising young team having second-year players Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, rookie Jabari Smith Jr. and the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
