What's Next For James Harden, 76ers Entering The Offseason

The Philadelphia 76ers lost in six games to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, casting doubt on the future of this franchise and All-Star James Harden’s long-term future in Philadelphia.

When the Philadelphia 76ers made this season’s biggest move at the NBA trade deadline by trading three-time All-Star Ben Simmons for ten-time All-Star James Harden, many thought they would be in a much better long-term position to contend for a title.

Well, just over three months later, the 76ers find themselves out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals yet again, losing in six games to the Miami Heat instead of seven games like they did last season to the Atlanta Hawks with Simmons apart of their roster.

As it turns out, acquiring Harden did not deliver Philadelphia with a championship right away and it seems like they have a lot more questions to be answered now with James Harden on their roster compared to Ben Simmons.

Time-and-time again, the 76ers have failed to build a sustainable roster from within and the Simmons-Harden situation is just the “icing on the cake” for what has been a management disaster.

Losing in the playoffs is not necessarily problematic for this organization, as it is very hard to win a championship nowadays, but it is the way that they lost in back-to-back seasons now that casts a shadow of doubt on this franchise.

Up 2-1 in their semifinals series over the Hawks last season, the 76ers forced a Game 7 and then lost on their home court as many began to question their motivation and willingness to want to compete for a title.

This season, the 76ers were down 0-2 to the Heat, evened the series up at 2-2, and then went on to lose the following two games. In Game 6, which ended up being the final game of their season, the Sixers looked like they quit early on in the third quarter and all game long, James Harden looked like he did not want to be there.

Quite honestly, James Harden looked like he did not want to be in the playoffs at all, as he really did not positively impact the 76ers’ chances of winning whatsoever this season.

Harden's Struggles Aid In Sixers' Downfall

Harden turned into a liability for his team very quickly in the playoffs and while his numbers were not bad per se, they definitely were not numbers we would expect to see from the ten-time All-Star and former league MVP.

In 21 regular season games with the 76ers this season, Harden averaged 21.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 10.5 assists and shot 32.6% from three-point range. In 12 playoff games this year, he averaged 18.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.6 assists and shot 36.8% from deep.

Maybe he just needs a full offseason to rest and get his mind right, but at 32-years-old, it is time we start asking questions about how much James Harden has left in the tank mentally.

The 76ers are now his third team in two seasons and with all of the public shaming surrounding the All-Star guard, plus the fact that he is no longer “the guy,” there are definitely serious doubts about if he will ever be the same player again.

Heading into the offseason, the 76ers are going to face a massive decision, one that could wind up being the downfall of what they thought would be a dynasty.

This decision revolves around the All-Star that they gave up a ton of assets for whose contract is set to expire following the 2022-23 season.

James Harden's Contract Situation

James Harden has a $47.3 million player option for next season and while it was said around the trade deadline that he would be opting out to help the 76ers build the roster around him, it seems like the former MVP would be foolish to do so at this point.

His value has dropped off tremendously since joining the Sixers and now, talk of a possible long-term extension is starting to fade.

On Friday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst stated that nobody around the league believes Harden will receive a max contract extension from the 76ers. Making $47 million alone during the 2022-23 season is very damaging to the Sixers as an organization, especially if Harden is not going to be their No. 1 talent on the floor each and every night.

While he has stated “I’ll be here,” referring to staying with Philadelphia through the 2022-23 season, James Harden’s long-term future with the 76ers and in the NBA is definitely up for discussion.

Should he opt into his player option for next season and not be any better of a player than he has shown since coming to Philadelphia at the trade deadline in February, then it is hard to believe that the team will look to invest a ton of money in him, especially since Harden will be 33-years-old and set to turn 34 following the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.

Not thinking about the repercussions of what could happen, this trade the 76ers made at the trade deadline for James Harden could ultimately go down as one of the worst trades in NBA history.

They are already a taxpaying team and with Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid having large, max-level contracts as well, the 76ers have no way to continue building for the future.

This organization is in “championship mode” right now and the fact that they have not advanced past the Eastern Conference Semifinals since 2001 is a bad sign for the future of this franchise.

It is going to be very interesting to see what changes general manager Elton Brand and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey make to the 76ers in the offseason, especially since they are “married” to James Harden’s contract should he opt into his player option. 

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