An NBA executive brutally ripped Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden. Steve Bulpett of Heavy Sports talked to some execs around the NBA who don’t believe Harden is a max player anymore.
“Look, in the right situation, I think he could be an important part of a team. He could contribute to a good team,” an Eastern Conference exec told Heavy. “But is he ready to take that role and be paid what that role is worth? From our conversations, what James is looking for is someone to pay him at a rate that he thinks that he’s worth, which he’s not. So James is in that unfortunate circumstance that we talk about all the time. Who’s the last person to know it’s over? The player. His status as a max, alpha player in this league, it’s over. He can’t produce wins.”
Harden can become an unrestricted free agent this summer if he declines his 2023-24 player option with the Sixers. The former MVP is expected to decline his option and test the open market.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden & Philadelphia 76ers Updates
“He can get numbers; he can help a team,” one exec said. “But he’s not a max player anymore. You can’t justify it. The unfortunate part is that more and more of us are going to metrics, and there’s nobody’s metric measurement that looks at him and his efficiency and what he gives up defensively and says, ‘Oh, yeah, this is a guy we should max out.’”
Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists during the 2022-23 regular season and 20.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 8.3 assists in the 2023 playoffs. However, The Beard played poorly in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals versus the Boston Celtics, finishing with nine points and five turnovers in 40 minutes while shooting 3-of-11 from the field.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden & Philadelphia 76ers Updates
A future Hall of Famer, Harden has been linked to going back to the Houston Rockets this summer, but one NBA exec told Bulpett that he doesn’t see that happening.
“There’s this talk about him going back to Houston, but from what I understand it’s nothing more than a negotiating ploy,” one exec said. “He knows that these guys aren’t going to max him. He’s no longer a max player, but he’s hoping that Philly wants him back and is willing to pay him.”
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