The Philadelphia 76ers have some major decisions to make this offseason and arguably the biggest one is giving James Harden the max or not. The Sixers guard has a player option of $47.9 million for the 2022-23 campaign and if he opts in by June 29th, The Beard will be eligible for a four-year, $233 million extension.
While recent reports claimed Harden will most likely sign a short-term deal with the Sixers given his age and shaky play in the playoffs a couple of months back, head coach Doc Rivers hinted at different when speaking to TMZ Sports:
“Huge deal,” Rivers said.
Doc added that he's “excited” about coaching JH, explaining, “I love him.”
To be frank, giving Harden the max would be a massive mistake. He's 32 years old and based on what he did in the postseason, the Sixers can't count on him being the answer to their title woes alongside Joel Embiid.
Harden collapsed in the East Semis and showed zero aggressiveness. He's not that same player who can get downhill or step back and drain countless threes. Harden is more of a creator now, which is fine. But even Embiid told him to attack the cup more.
On the other side of things, a full season for Harden in the Sixers system should help. After all, he did step into a whole new offense mid-way through the season. The fact that Doc loves him though is a very good sign. A short-term contract certainly makes the most sense. Hopefully, Rivers is thinking the same.
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