Harden and a decision that can mark the history of the Sixers

The Sixers’ season again ended in disappointment. Again, the team misses out on an Eastern final it hasn’t played since 2001, with Allen Iverson as star. The previous visit to that penultimate round dates back to 1985, so each course closed below expectations is a blow to a historic franchise that does not finish culminating that ambitious and controversial total reconstruction that he launched with the famous Process, years of industrialized tanking to create a perpetual contender for the ring.

Now, they are five years in a row in the playoffs but one elimination in the first round and four in the second. Raptors, Bucks, Heat, Celtics, Cavaliers… todos han ido beyond. The Sixers don’t. And that with a Joel Embiid that during the regular season he had traces of MVP (Jokic won it) and that, after some injuries that dramatically minimized him in the playoffs, he ends the course at the age of 28 and, once again, the feeling that his prime is happening without your computer hitting the key.

In full commotion after the elimination against the Heat, the big shot Daryl Morey appeared to send a message of calm… and continuity. Those who ask for revolutions will have to be patient, or so it seems: there won’t be any. Or it doesn’t look like anything. Morey guaranteed the continuity of the highly questionable Doc Rivers on the bench. And he made it clear that James Harden, one way or another, will continue in Philadelphia.. The president of operations talks about “winning a championship” and not being afraid to verbalize it. To improve in everything but above all “in defense”. And to look at all the ways to improve, “internal or through acquisitions” but all from the premise that James Harden deserves a full season to really assess how much he can contribute, integrated into the group from the start. training camp. And with confidence that the current hard core can give more of itself: Joel Embiid and Jame Harden as references, Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey as main squires.

If the road map is going to be that, without shocks or earthquakes in the spine, there is no doubt that the elephant in china shop es the link to that disappointing Harden who will start next season at 33 years old. And that he is in the center of all eyes after his disappearance in the sixth and final game against the Heat: 11 points, 9 assists for 3 turnovers, not a single basket in the second half. After a successful regular season after the transfer from the Nets to the Sixers (21 points, 7.1 rebounds, 10.5 assists), sHis performance has dropped a lot in the playoffs (18.6, 5.7, 8.6, 41% shooting, 4.2 turnovers per night). His attitude as a leader has once again been in evidence and evidence is accumulating that his best physical moment is further and further away… and there is no going back: this season has been the worst for him in three-point shooting (32.6%) and near the hoop (49%) . The penetrations in which he left his main defender behind dropped from 44% two seasons ago to just 29% last year. Less explosiveness, less legs, less advantages. The distribution of its production in the playoffs is also worrying: 12.8 points in the first half, only 5.3 in the second with 28% shooting from the field and 25% shooting three-pointers.

The terrible panorama of the maximum contract

Morey is clear that after betting on the Embiid+Harden couple in February, he is not going to throw in the towel at the first change. Now, therefore, he has to decide how committed he is to the player he already tried to build an empire on in the Houston Rockets. The situation is tricky because Harden did not sign, as expected, any extension after the trade winter and now you have until June 29 to decide whether or not to accept the player option What do you have for next season? He would earn (he took the last 44.3 million) 47.4 million and could be a free agent again in the summer of 2023.

If Harden had performed at his best, a maximum contract would basically be a guarantee. And it would also be the highest contract in NBA history. Harden have the option to avail themselves of their player option and sign an extra extension (beginning August 10) of four years and 223 million for a total of 270.1 million until the summer of 2027. Or he can reject the player option and sign a new contract with the Sixers for a maximum five years and 269.9 million. In any case, we are talking about a contract that would start at more than 47 million and that would take the player to the 2026-27 season in more than 61 million dollars. A campaign that would begin with 37 years.

It sounds crazy for the Sixers, sure. Journalist Bobby Marks (ESPN), expert in cap and contract structure (he worked in the offices of the Nets) is clear: “Such a contract would be spoken of as the ones Russell Westbrook or John Wall now have. It would be the worst in history in the NBA in three years.

From there, Morey and the Sixers will look for cheaper formulas or with sufficient guarantees for their interests. It has also been leaked that Harden would agree to lower his claims and not seek that maximum in a situation in which his market will not be buoyant and aware of the very difficult economic situation that the Sixers already have, very limited when looking for reinforcements as soon as they sign a new contract with him. If you don’t accept the player option, this link could be any amount up to a maximum of 46.5 million in the first year with increases or decreases of 8% thereafter. If you run the player option, you can sign an extension of up to four seasons with a starting salary of 49.7 and, again, a scale of increases or decreases of 8% per year. It is, of course, one of the key issues of the NBA summer and one that can leave the Sixers in a tough (very tough) or not-so-tough situation depending on how the cards are dealt and the game is played. There is a lot to negotiate.

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