James Harden has decided to re-sign with the Philadelphia 76ers at the start of his free agency, multiple sources report. At the end of the season, there were signs given from both parties that the relationship between the player & franchise will continue next year but there was no certain answer from either party.
The 76ers have just come off a decent season which saw them finish 4th in the Eastern Conference standings. Their best performers this season were Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey. Harden managed to make an impact despite having a late start to the season.
He had to sit out because of a hamstring injury that he sustained during his time with the Brooklyn Nets. The 76ers did not want to force him back early and waited for him to be back at 100%.
The Sixers had managed to complete a trade earlier this year for James Harden which saw Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks go the other way. The Simmons saga with Philadelphia and Harden’s relationship with Kevin Durant and the Nets board meant that the trade was justified.
James Harden aiming to make things right with an extended stay with the 76ers
The Beard had only managed to feature in 21 games for the Philadelphia franchise this season. The reason for this had been his injury that forced him to be on the sidelines for a while.
However, Harden put up decent numbers, although it wasn’t like his usual self. The American had managed to average 21 points, 10.5 assists, and 7.1 rebounds per game. For a player that just returned from injury, these numbers were surely impressive.
James Harden is expected to re-sign with the Sixers on a shorter-term deal at the start of free agency, per B/R’s @JakeLFischer pic.twitter.com/D609GjZCeY
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 16, 2022
There also have been reports that the Sixers board was not willing to sign James on a long-term deal. This seems to be reasonable considering the player’s age and other young talents that the Sixers have an eye for. Adding on to that, there also have been reports that Harden was ready to take less than his maximum salary to make sure the 76ers can build a championship-contending team around him and Joel Embiid.
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