Philadelphia 76ers' alternative contract offer had no appeal to James Harden, star still set on a trade

James Harden entered the offseason as one of the top targets in NBA free agency. Except, the ten-time All-Star never actually hit the open market after opting into his $35.6 million contract for the 2023-24 season. The move was reportedly a ‘surprise’ to some within the Philadelphia 76ers’ organization after previous contract negotiations went south with the three-time scoring champion.

While Harden is under contract for one more season in Philadelphia, Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype indicates the team tried to get the soon-to-be 34-year-old to make a longer commitment to the organization.

“To my understanding, the best the Sixers would’ve considered was something along the lines of a two-year deal, which would’ve included a team option, and that type of short-term commitment wasn’t going to appeal to Harden.”
NBA insider on James Harden

Harden has since requested a trade out of Philly and would specifically like to play for the Los Angeles Clippers, joining Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Scotto adds that Harden has known he wanted to be in L.A. since the start of free agency, even pointing to their salary cap restrictions as the reason why he opted in instead of becoming a free agent.

Those banking on Harden getting traded to the Clippers can take solace in the fact that the two teams are still discussing a deal, with the relationship between Harden and Philadelphia’s president of basketball operations Daryl Morey being reported as “done.” In what’s been an action-packed offseason so far, we could still see one or two more blockbusters, depending on what happens with Harden and Damian Lillard too.