Soon enough, free-agency deals will be reported.
For now, the rumors are flying freely.
Thursday is the deadline for James Harden’s decision on his $35.6 million player option for next season. Should Harden expectedly decline that option, what’s next? ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported the following on Wednesday morning:
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“I don’t think just because he opts out of it, which I would expect him to do, that it means he’s leaving. … The indications are that James Harden is going to remain in Philadelphia. I would not say for sure it’s a done deal, but those are the indications and really, it’ll come down to what sort of contract they negotiate. He could get up to four years. I’m sure Philadelphia, with a 33-year-old, would like it shorter. And that’s part of the negotiation I think the Sixers have been working on in recent weeks.”
On a similar note, Marc Stein reported Wednesday that Harden is “increasingly projected to return to Philadelphia on a two- or three-year contract.” Stein also reported that Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks are “the free agents most frequently billed as Houston-bound this week.” Harden had long been rumored to have interest in returning to the Rockets, who selected point guard Amen Thompson fourth overall in last Thursday's NBA draft.
Should Harden stay with the Sixers, the specifics of his new deal will matter plenty. By declining his player option last summer and taking a pay cut, Harden made it possible for the Sixers to sign P.J. Tucker (standard mid-level exception) and Danuel House Jr. (bi-annual exception). Beyond the aging and injury concerns valid with any player in his mid-30s, the heightened restrictions in the NBA’s new CBA are another reason to be reluctant about the idea of a long-term Harden deal.
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In the 2022-23 season, Harden posted 21.0 points and a league-best 10.7 assists per game. His uneven postseason included two magnificent performances against the Celtics — 45 points in Game 1, 42 in Game 4 — and a 21.8 field goal percentage across the Sixers’ four losses in that second-round series.
While Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey indeed said last month that retaining Harden is the Sixers’ “Scenario A,” what might Scenario B look like?
Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported that Gabe Vincent is “a secondary candidate in Dallas and Philadelphia, if any chicanery were to prevent the Mavericks or Sixers from retaining Kyrie Irving or James Harden, respectively. Both All-Stars, however, appeared headed back to their incumbent teams at the moment.” The Heat and Vincent have “mutual interest” in keeping the combo guard with Miami, Fischer reported.
Vincent boosted his stock with an impressive postseason for the reigning Eastern Conference champions, scoring at least 15 points in 11 games, showcasing his development as a point guard, and playing dogged defense.
As far as the Sixers’ main internal free agents besides Harden — Paul Reed, Jalen McDaniels, Georges Niang and Shake Milton — Fischer had a tidbit Wednesday, writing that the Cavs are “looking at all kinds of wing targets, sources said, from (Max) Strus to Kelly Oubre to Georges Niang.”
Niang has been a dependable stretch four for the Sixers over the last two seasons, appearing in 154 games and canning 40.2 percent of his three-point shots. It’s not at all surprising that he’s reportedly drawing outside interest.
Read more: Seven role players who could make sense for Sixers in free agency