James Harden's future takes another uncertain step forward

Harden joined the Sixers in 2022 and has played one and a half seasons in the City of Brotherly Love. Unfortunately, the dynamic pick-and-roll offense between Joel Embiid and Harden wasn't as unstoppable as Daryl Morey hoped. The Sixers failed to make the NBA finals during their two postseason runs with Harden in the rotation.

By opting into his player option, Harden is clearly working with Morey to help the Sixers. Harden's actions shouldn't come as a surprise. Last season, the veteran star took a team-friendly deal so Philadelphia could add depth to its roster. Harden has been showing his desire to contend for a championship through his actions in recent years. 

Unfortunately, it's not clear what the trade market will be like for Harden. While the 33-year-old isn't the all-conquering scorer he was in his prime, he's still among the best guards in the NBA. This past season, Harden averaged 21 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists on 44.1% shooting from the field and 38.5% shooting from deep. 

There's a lot of value in a guard who can average a double-double in points and assists. Especially when that guard will garner immense amounts of defensive attention. Pairing Harden with an MVP-caliber player has never seemed to work. We saw similar issues when sharing the floor with Russell Westbrook and Dwight Howard. Finding a team that has fringe stars where Harden can be a '1a or 1b' might be the best way to get the best out of him. 

Harden is still a star. He is still a potential All-Star. What he isn't is an NBA champion. Harden will be hoping to change that before he calls time on his career. The question now is, can Daryl Morey help him out one last time?