On February 12, Beijing time, the door to this season's trading market has been closed, but the impact of some previous transactions seems to continue. According to Kyle Neubeck, a local Philadelphia outlet for PhillyVoice, Harden did not execute his contract option for next season as reported by yesterday's media, which will undoubtedly increase the marginal cost of the 76ers' deal.
At the last moment when the market door closed yesterday, the 76ers finally chose to push for a trade with the Nets, packing Curry Jr., Simmons, Drummond and two first-round picks to Brooklyn in exchange for Harden and Millsap. This once caused a heated discussion, because there are many media reports that Harden has a strong willingness to leave the Nets, he will enter the contract option this summer, when Philadelphia can complete the signing with the former regular season mvp without paying any price.
In a sense, Harden's willingness to execute on his contract options for next season will be an important measure of whether the deal is worth it. Because once Harden jumps out of the contract this summer, there are no more than two outcomes, either pat his ass and go directly, when the 76ers will fly eggs and give away so many high-quality chips; or sign another long contract with the team, but the problem is that even if Harden is excellent, he is about to turn 33, the league's new rules, frequent injuries, and state decline... These problems are all bothering him, and if he is renewed with a long-term high salary, it will inevitably tie up the future of the team.
Harden's choice to execute his contract option for next season would be the best option for the 76ers. They will have more than one season to test the viability of the Harden + Embiid combination, and if the championship fails, they can still use the salary space to reshape the future.