James Harden has long been considered a virtual lock to opt out of his $35.6M salary for next season, but has yet to finalize a decision with Thursday’s player option deadline looming. Noting that Harden doesn’t have to take any formal action or make an announcement if he intends to decline his option, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (YouTube link) appeared on SportsCenter on Wednesday to discuss where things stand with the Sixers guard.
“I think for James Harden, he’ll take it down to the wire over the next 24 hours,” Wojnarowski said (hat tip to RealGM). “If you’re James Harden and you get into free agency, you want to know that you’re going to get a quick resolution with the Sixers. Because the longer it drags out, money dries up elsewhere, you lose leverage.”
While opting in would assure Harden of $35M+ in guaranteed money for 2023-24, he wouldn’t be eligible to sign an extension prior to free agency in 2024 and he’d immediately become trade-eligible, so it would be a risky path to take. Wojnarowski believes Harden’s preference would be to lock in a multiyear guarantee.
“I think for Philadelphia, the real hang-up, the real challenge is going to be how many years on a deal?” Wojnarowski said. “I think getting near-max money… I don’t think it’s going to be the dollars per season. It’s going to be how many years do they want to invest in James Harden.”
While the Rockets have been cited for months as a potential suitor for Harden, Houston has seemingly pivoted to other free agent targets. As Ben DuBose of RocketsWire relays, Kelly Iko of The Athletic said during a Twitter live stream on Wednesday that he thinks the Rockets may be “out of the running” for the 10-time All-Star. Marc Stein reported on Wednesday that he has heard rumblings about Harden getting a two- or three-year deal from Philadelphia.
Harden will turn 34 before the start of next season, which is making teams reluctant to commit to a pricey long-term contract. Long considered one of the NBA’s most durable players, he has dealt with a handful of injury issues in recent years, missing 24 games last season.
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