NBA News: James Harden is one of the more controversial players in the entire NBA, that continued today. In a shocking move on Thursday, James Harden will reportedly opt into his $35.6 player option with the Philadelphia 76ers. However, he won’t be doing it to stay in Philadelphia. The opt-in will be to work wi and will work with the team to explore trade opportunities.
James Harden To Be Traded From The Philadelphia 76ers
Shams Charania of The Athletic was the first to report that Harden will likely be on a new team for the 2023-24 NBA season:
James Harden is opting into his $35.6 million deal for next season in order for the 10-time NBA All-Star and the 76ers to work together on a trade out of Philadelphia, league sources told The Athletic.
The Clippers and potentially one more team are expected to emerge as interested franchises in trade talks with the 76ers, league sources say.
The 76ers made it clear throughout the process that the franchise did not see a long-term future with Harden, sources said.
Harden, 33, averaged 21 points and 10.7 assists per game last season. He was traded from Brooklyn to Philadelphia in 2022 (along with Paul Millsap) for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks. Harden signed a two-year, $68,640,000 deal with the 76ers ahead of last season after accepting a pay cut of about $15 million in free agency.
Philadelphia finished 54-28 in 2022-23, falling in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Celtics.
What Teams Are Interested In James Harden As Of Now?(NBA News)
As Shams Charania reported, the Los Angeles Clippers immediately surfaced as a landing spot for the 33-year-old guard. However, multiple other teams seem to be in the mix. This includes the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat.
The Sixers would likely be looking for a combination of players and picks that would help replenish their roster in the event Harden is actually traded. This remains true even if it took more than one deal to pull off their eventual endgame. Given that the acquiring team for Harden would need to send Philadelphia at least $28.5 million, and that some partners may not have that quantity of expiring deals, there seems a high probability of a three-way transaction in the deal’s final stage.
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