James Harden denies rumors about future with Sixers and pouting over All-Star Game snub

Harden was eligible for a four-year, $210 million contract if he declined his $35.6 million player option and became a free agent. And he was expecting a contract in that range, sources said, having taken less the previous summer and having left a $161 million extension on the table from Brooklyn in August 2021 and turned down a two-year, $100 million extension from the Rockets in February 2021. But Harden had little leverage to extract that kind of offer from Philadelphia. The Rockets’ interest in reacquiring him as a free agent cooled after they hired Ime Udoka as their head coach in late April, sources said. Udoka was trying to set a new culture in Houston, not bring back the past. He wanted to target defensive-minded players like Memphis’ Dillon Brooks and Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez. -via ESPN / September 6, 2023

The Sixers were stunned at Harden’s decision, sources said, insisting to him and his representatives that they had been distant only because they were just hit with the largest tampering fine in NBA history and that they had every intention of re-signing him, as soon as the rules allowed. But Harden was already too far gone. “James takes things very personally,” another source close to Harden said. “When he feels like he’s been wronged, he can be very stubborn.” -via ESPN / September 6, 2023

Thus far, Embiid has given the franchise assurances he is OK riding out the current drama with Harden, sources said. How long he gives them to resolve the matter remains to be seen. Maxey has done the same, even waiting on a contract extension this summer so the franchise can preserve its ability to operate under the salary cap and improve the team in the future. Both have been in touch with Harden throughout, maintaining their personal relationships. Embiid even invited Harden to his wedding in July, sources said. -via ESPN / September 6, 2023