The Philadelphia 76ers have struggled to get over the hump for years now.
They added James Harden to the mix and seemed close to finally making it to the Eastern Conference Finals, but that wasn’t the case.
Even so, they still want to keep Harden at all costs, and they’re hoping to either re-sign him or have him pick up his player option for next season.
According to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers are determined to keep him on board, and he has until June 29 to pick up that option worth a whopping $35.6 million.
76ers are "determined" to sign James Harden to a new contract this offseason, per @wojespn
Harden has until June 29 to pick up his $35.6M player option for the 2023-24 season 💰 pic.twitter.com/Q2Ut2rkYPX
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 26, 2023
Harden led the league in total assists and assists per game last season, and his rapport with Joel Embiid was evident.
Moreover, Daryl Morey continues to be the president of basketball operations, thus, it’s only logical that keeping his guy is at the top of his priority list.
Then again, Harden has a long and well-documented history of falling short when it matters the most, especially in the playoffs, and Embiid has earned a similar reputation as of late.
He’s not precisely young and is at the backend of his prime already, not to mention the fact that his work ethic has often been questionable.
Perhaps the Sixers would be better off exploring different avenues to try and get over the hump, especially with Damian Lillard likely to be available.
Also, with the Houston Rockets reportedly interested in bringing him back, they might have to spend big bucks to try and convince him to stay in the City of Brotherly Love.
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