Star guard James Harden reportedly picked up his $35.6 million option for the 2023-24 season with the Philadelphia 76ers. However, Harden didn’t do it to continue playing in Philly.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Harden opted into his 76ers contract with the intention to get traded. His representatives and the 76ers’ front office are now expected to work on a trade that would get the former MVP in his preferred destination and allow Philly to get some assets in return.
Harden took a pay cut last summer in order to allow Philly more flexibility in building a contending team around him and reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid. After the 76ers flamed out in the playoffs again, Harden was expected to opt out of the deal and get a more lucrative contract.
The expectations were that the 76ers would be the team that gives him that kind of deal, but sources close say that the franchise didn’t show any urgency in making that happen. They were reportedly willing to wait it out and see what the market was, which rubbed the 33-year-old the wrong way.
The reason why Harden opted into his contract instead just hitting free agency is that none of his preferred teams has the cap space to sign him outright. He has more options as a trade asset, with teams like Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers being rumored to have interest in him.
Harden joined the 76ers midway through the 2021-22 NBA campaign in a trade that sent Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets. He played 58 games last season, averaging 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 10.7 assists.
