NBA insider Brian Windhorst of ESPN believes James Harden will return to the Philadelphia 76ers.
While the former MVP hasn’t made a decision on his 2023-24 player option, Windhorst expects Harden to decline his $35.6 million player option and sign a new deal with the Sixers.
“I don’t think just because he opts out of it [his player option], which I would expect him to do, it means that he’s leaving,” Windhorst said. “He took a significant pay cut last year to help the Sixers build up that roster and they did. They signed PJ Tucker, they traded for De’Anthony Melton. And so he frankly is kind of in a little bit of debit based on his production. So I expect the Sixers’ offer to be considerably higher [than his $35.6 million player option number], whatever number of years it is.
“The indications are that James Harden is going to remain in Philadelphia. I would not say for sure it’s a done deal. But those are the indications and really it will come down to what sort of contract they negotiate. He could get up to four years. I’m sure Philadelphia, with a 33-year-old, would like it shorter, and that’s part of the negotiation I think the Sixers have been working on in recent weeks.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: James Harden & Philadelphia 76ers Updates
Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists in 2023-23 while shooting 44.1% from the floor, 38.5% from beyond the arc and 86.7% from the free-throw line. The future Hall of Famer led the NBA in assists per game for the second time in his career.
The Sixers lost to the Boston Celtics in the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals in seven games despite having a 3-2 lead in the series. Doc Rivers was fired as head coach and replaced by Nick Nurse, who won the 2019 championship with the Toronto Raptors over the Golden State Warriors.
Nurse and Harden met a few weeks ago in Houston. Most people around the NBA believe Harden will either stay with the Sixers or go back to the Houston Rockets once free agency starts.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: James Harden & Philadelphia 76ers Updates
One of the greatest players of all time, Harden has career averages of 24.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 7.0 assists with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Rockets, Brooklyn Nets and Sixers. He is still looking to win his first championship.
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