Sixers may regret trading for Harden
PHILADELPHIA The 76ers will be in a weird position this summer.
Even before Daryl Morey was named president of basketball operations on Nov. 2, 2020, the team had been in pursuit of James Harden. The Sixers unsuccessfully tried to trade for him in January 2021 before the Houston Rockets sent the guard to the Brooklyn Nets.
They finally got their man on Feb. 10 in a blockbuster deal with the Nets. And he hasn’t exactly made the impact that was expected. Harden was a ghost as they were eliminated with Thursday’s 99-90 Game 6 loss to the Miami Heat.
The perennial all-NBA selection has had some moments. But for the most part, he hasn’t looked like the guy who won the 2018 MVP and three scoring titles with the Rockets. The 32-year-old has lost some quickness and can’t get past defenders like he once could. Harden is not getting to the foul line as much these days, either, as a result of the loss of speed and officials swallowing the whistle on players who were once called for fouls.
Harden did look good against the Heat in Game 4. He knocked down his patented step-back threepointer on that night, but failed to produce outside of that one game.
In Thursday’s elimination game, Harden had 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting to go with nine assists in 43 minutes. He did not score after intermission, while attempting only two shots.
Harden is certainly a good player, but having him as one of your two best performers doesn’t come without drawbacks. He has lost a lot, and is not a good defender. And he’s not playing at a maximum-salary contract level at this stage of his career.
That’s why the Sixers will be in a weird position this summer.
Harden has said that he’ll opt into his $47.3-million (U.S.) player option for next season. If he picks that up, he’ll be eligible to sign a fouryear, $233-million contract extension with the Sixers that would pay him $61.7 million in the 2026-27 season.
It would make a lot of sense for Harden to pick up that option instead of testing free agency. There aren’t many good teams that can offer him that type of money, and he could only land with another contender through a sign-andtrade situation.
Give Morey, who served as Rockets general manager during Harden’s tenure, credit for delivering Harden to the Sixers. But while he coveted him at the trade deadline, it’s hard to imagine Morey will mortgage the franchise’s future after what we’ve seen.
The 21 points Harden averaged in 21 regular-season games as a Sixer marked his lowest scoring average since he produced 16.8 points as a third-year reserve guard with the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2011-12 season.
“For me, personally, this has been a long year,” Harden said. “But since I’ve been here, it’s been great ... We’re just missing a few pieces.”
Asked to evaluate Harden’s play as a Sixer, coach Doc Rivers declined: “I know how this goes. Whenever a team loses, we all look for blame.”
The Sixers’ best bet is to pick up Harden’s option at a fair rate for a shorter-term deal.
They gave up Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks for Harden and Paul Millsap.
The Sixers had less than half a season with Harden. You don’t want that type of investment to walk out the door. But you also don’t want to pay a guy already in decline $61.7 million five seasons from now.