The Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs on Thursday night in their Game 6 loss to the Miami Heat.
Despite trading for guard James Harden at this year’s trade deadline, the Sixers came up short in the playoffs again under head coach Doc Rivers.
Harden didn’t play his best basketball this season in Philly, and as a result, the team has a major decision to make regarding his future with the team. Right now, all that’s known is that Harden has a player option for the 2022-23 campaign.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, nobody across the NBA believes that the Sixers will give Harden a max contract.
.@WindhorstESPN says to pump the brakes on Harden returning to Philadelphia next season with a max deal.
"Nobody in the NBA believes that the Sixers are going to give James Harden a max contract.” pic.twitter.com/vASDx6p0ek
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 13, 2022
During the 2021-22 regular season for the Sixers, Harden averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 assists and 7.1 rebounds per game while shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Harden struggled in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Heat, and he failed to score a single point in the second half of Game 6. Harden did play well in Game 4, but the Sixers clearly expected more than one solid performance out of the former MVP.
It will be interesting to see how the two sides approach Harden’s future with the team. Time will tell how it all unfolds.
