The Philadelphia 76ers swung for the fences on Thursday when they made the big move to bring in James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Ben Simmons. They now have Harden pairing with Joel Embiid for what is expected to be a deadly offensive duo.
There are some housecleaning issues to clear up, however. There was a report Harden agreed to pick up his $47.3 million player option for the 2022-23 season. However, that does not appear to be the case.
Per Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice, Harden has not picked up that option, which could make him an unrestricted free agent in the 2022 offseason. Before everybody begins freaking out, understand this means he just has to pick up the option in the offseason or opt out and sign a long-term deal to remain in Philadelphia.
Essentially — Harden would have had to opt into next year prior to deal being completed, did not do so. He now would have to wait until end of year to opt in, or (obviously) could simply opt out and sign new long term deal
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) February 11, 2022
Philadelphia is a situation where Harden longed to be. It will be surprising to see him bolt the Sixers in the offseason. Stranger things have happened, but it would be a bit of a shock to see him become a three-month rental for the Sixers.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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