In an unexpected maneuver from one of this summer’s headlining stars, James Harden decided to bypass free agency and pick up his $35.6 million player option with the Philadelphia 76ers. Harden can now work with the 76ers to find a new home via trade.
, a move some believed would aid the team’s chances at retaining Harden.
Harden’s diminished market value has been influenced by his inconsistent postseason play, declining efficiency and advancing age. After logging huge minutes and maintaining near-perfect availability throughout his prime years, Harden appeared in just 58 games last season as he battled a nagging Achilles’ injury. Despite being named 2018 MVP and winning three scoring titles, Harden last played in the Finals in 2012 and the conference finals in 2018.
In Philadelphia, Harden served as a distribution-minded guard and sacrificed his own scoring opportunities — shooting 14.5 times per game, his lowest average since he was a sixth man for the Oklahoma City Thunder early in his career — to aid. The two stars were not ideal complements, and a knee injury to Embiid contributed to Philadelphia’s frustrating playoff exit.
The free-spending Clippers created additional salary cap flexibility by waiving veteran guard Eric Gordon on Wednesday, and they have young prospects and veteran players with sizable contracts that could make a trade work. If successful, the Clippers could form a star trio of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Harden — all Southern California natives — to chase their first title in franchise history.
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