The Philadelphia 76ers made a big trade at the deadline when they acquired James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets in order to team him up with Joel Embiid and contend for a title in a tough Eastern Conference.
The star duo had their moments as they were able to make an impact in the pick-and-roll game. Harden wasn’t the explosive scorer in Philadelphia that he has been known to be in his career, but he did average 21 points with 10.5 assists and 7.1 rebounds during his time with the Sixers.
Now that the offseason is here, Harden will likely opt in to his $47 million player option for the 2022-23 season which can hurt his trade value in some eyes.
Per HoopsHype, Harden is ranked as the 8th best shooting guard in the league based on his trade value:
Harden being this low while peers like DeMar DeRozan and Chris Paul are higher might have more to do with Harden’s current contractual situation. He can remain the same player and have a much higher trade value if his next contract has him earning $30-40 million annually instead of $50-60 million.
As the Sixers and Harden head into the offseason, the hope is that a full summer to be able to work out after dealing with hamstring issues in the past will help him in the future. Daryl Morey and the Sixers have already committed to him for the future as they believe he and Embiid can guide Philadelphia to a title.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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