James Harden Declines Option, Becomes Free Agent: What It Means For Sixers

PHILADELPHIA, PA — A day after the Sixers fired head coach Doc Rivers following another early playoff exit, superstar guard James Harden declined his one-year player option of $35.6 million and officially entered free agency.

Harden, as first reported by Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, wants a long term deal on a competitive roster that also affords him "basketball freedom" to be himself.

This turn of events does not mean that Harden is not coming back to Philadelphia. Team president Daryl Morey has expressed serious interest in bringing Harden back, and Harden himself has made it clear that he's not afraid to voice displeasure in a city. If the past is any indication, he's happy in Philadelphia in a way he clearly wasn't in Houston or Brooklyn, where he publicly demanded trades.

Philly does have the financial will to win, so seemingly the biggest barrier to bringing Harden back would be competitors. His old team, the Houston Rockets, may be the toughest challenger, as they know Harden well and they're preparing to make a quick exit out of their rebuild. Rumors have recently put their fourth overall draft pick on the trade block in their pursuit of an immediate competitor.

Although the Sixers failed to reach the conference finals for the sixth straight year of the Joel Embiid-postseason era, there's little doubt that Harden works in Philly.

See also: Sixers Fire Head Coach Doc Rivers After Another Early Playoff Exit

The 2022-23 season was historically one of the greatest years in Sixers history. The Harden-Embiid-Tyrese Maxey combo created by far the best offense in the league, as Embiid led the league in scoring again en route to his first MVP award and Harden led the league in assists as he adapted his game seamlessly to play alongside a superstar big man.

Critics point quickly to the playoff failure, but in a game of such chance and circumstance, the Sixers were still minutes away from putting away the Celtics in six games and advancing to the conference finals as championships favorites. That's easy to forget, after the fourth quarter collapse in game six and game seven's blow out.

Harden commented on a handful rumors claiming he had a desire to leave the Sixers by saying on his Instagram page against a black screen "Experts really don't be experts."

In the meantime, as the Sixers try to lock down Harden for the long term, the search is underway for a new coach.