James Harden Declines Player Option, Intends to Return to Sixers

Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden has declined his player option for the 2022-2023 NBA season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Now, Harden is

Justin Grasso | Jun 29, 2022

James Harden Declines Player Option, Intends to Return to Sixers /

Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden has declined his player option for the 2022-2023 NBA season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Now, Harden is set to become an unrestricted free agent.

The Sixers landed Harden via trade ahead of the 2022 deadline. As the Sixers looked to get an All-Star to replace Ben Simmons, Harden grew disgruntled in Brooklyn, forcing the Nets to take on an offer of Simmons, Andre Drummond, Seth Curry, and draft picks in exchange for Harden and Paul Millsap.

When Harden joined the 76ers, he had an opportunity to pick up his player option for next season. While it was reported Harden did opt-in, the star guard made it clear that wasn’t the case during his introductory press conference. However, Harden left no doubt about his future in Philly.

Over time, it was rumored that Harden would either pick up his option for the 2022-2023 season or potentially take less on a new deal in order to offer the Sixers flexibility for the short-term future. After the Sixers’ playoff run, Harden reiterated he planned to be back with the Sixers and would do whatever it takes to help set the team up for championship success.

On Wednesday night, Harden declined his option officially. Per Charania, Harden plans to return to the team on a short-term contract as his sole focus is winning a title in Philadelphia next season.

With Harden declining his player option, the Sixers now have more room to sign complementary pieces when free agency opens up this week.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

More Sixers News:

High Hopes for Springer: When the Philadelphia 76ers selected Jaden Springer late in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft, they knew the young guard would take some time to develop before he could garner a legitimate role on the Sixers’ roster. After spending time in the G League last season, the Sixers are hoping that Springer could become a role player on the main roster for next season. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Published Jun 29, 2022

JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA