Newly acquired star James Harden is officially a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, as he was spotted on the court practicing with the team. Harden isn't quite ready for game action, as it was reported that he'll play in his first game with the Sixers after the All-Star break. Of course, one of the big storylines in the blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets was Harden's 2022-23 player option, which he said he would exercise following the trade. However, it was reported earlier Tuesday that The Beard had mistakenly failed to file the paperwork for the opt-in period regarding his player option. Harden spoke to reporters and set the record straight on his 2022-23 player option with the Sixers.
James Harden confirms that he did not opt in yet and still has the opportunity to do it, which he plans to do
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) February 15, 2022
Sixers star James Harden said that he did not yet opt-in but that he still plans to exercise his 2022-23 player option. Philadelphia fans were likely holding their breath to see if The Beard's failure to file the paperwork was actually a mistake or if the ever-unpredictable Harden was having second thoughts already.
As it turns out, all is well in Philadelphia. Harden can exercise his $47,366,760 2022-23 player option this offseason. Given the Sixers' great potential with Harden and center Joel Embiid atop the talented roster, there's no reason to expect that to change.
