NBA
The Philadelphia 76ers are ‘more optimistic’ about James Harden returning to the team next season
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated19 Jun 2023
After having a 3-2 lead in the Conference Semi-finals, the 76ers failed to win that series. It was another disappointing end to Philly’s season. Rumors of James Harden leaving the team date back to December 2022. It’s been said that Harden is “torn” on his decision to stay in Philly or return to Houston. Recent reports say that the Sixers are “more optimistic” about Harden returning to the team next season.
A major factor that has played into Hardeb wanting to stay in Philly was Doc Rivers being fired, The 10-time all-star didn’t have the greatest relationship with his former head coach. Since the firing, Rivers had been vocal that Harden was difficult to work with at times.
Now, former Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is the top dog in Philly. Despite reports of Harden and the Rockets having “mutual interest”, Philly remains optimistic that he will stay.
“Some fresh hope, perhaps, if you’re rooting for James Harden to stay with the 76ers: There have been some rumbles this week that, despite the undeniably strong lure that a return to Houston holds for Harden, he is said to be giving renewed consideration..”
– @TheSteinLine pic.twitter.com/rclqe5wh0o
— Sixerdaily (@Sixerdaily) June 17, 2023
The 76ers remain optimistic that James Harden will return for the 2023-24 season
New reports say that the “mutual interest” between the Rockets and Harden might not have been true. Sources say that Harden’s camp was using this as leverage to get him as big a contract offer as possible. With this, the Sixers are “more optimistic” he will re-sign with the team this offseason.
Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer said Harden is “giving renewed consideration to staying put”. For Harden and the 76ers, this seems to be the best option moving forward. With their current roster, Philly still has the potential to be a championship contender. Without James Harden, that is not the case.
The major roadblock in this whole situation is the money. Harden will be 33 heading into next season and he knows this could be the last big-time contract of his career. It’s been well-documented that he wants a max-contract extension, but Philly has been hesitant to give him one. Joel Embiid needs Harden’s playmaking and basketball IQ alongside him if the Sixers are serious about winning a championship.
