ESPN Jun 29, 2023, 5:06 p.m. Reading: 2 min.
Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden is picking up his $35.6 million option and the parties are beginning to work together to explore trade scenarios, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday.
Harden is expected to have played his last game with Philadelphia, sources said.
Harden, who turns 34 in August, made his 10th All-Star team last season, finishing with 21 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game. He led the NBA in assists, many of them to Joel Embiid, who won his first MVP award and led the league in scoring.
James Harden, during Game 5 of the 2023 playoffs against the Celtics. Photo: AP
Embiid and Harden became the first teammates to lead the league in scoring and assists in the same season since Johnny Moore and George Gervin accomplished the feat with the San Antonio Spurs 40 years ago.
Despite championship expectations, the 76ers were knocked out of the postseason in the second round for the fifth time in six seasons. The Sixers fired Doc Rivers after the season, replacing him with former Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse.
Harden arrived in Philadelphia 18 months ago on a blockbuster deal with the Brooklyn Nets, one that saw Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and draft capital go the other way when Harden met with the president of basketball operations. 76ers basketball player Daryl Morey, the man who brought him to Houston a decade ago.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.
2023-06-29 21:16:35
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