On May 16, Beijing time, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, Harden is not keen to play under coach Rivers, and if the 76ers want to keep Harden, they will likely have to fire Rivers. Rivers' 76ers missed the Eastern Conference Finals for three consecutive years, causing a lot of complaints.
"Harden wasn't as supportive of Doug Rivers at yesterday's press conference," Shelburne said, "and a source told me that it's hard to see Harden come back and continue playing for Rivers, and the decision between the two is related. ”
In the post-game interview of Rush Seven, when Harden was asked about Rivers, his response was somewhat lukewarm, simply describing the relationship between the two as "OK", which in Chinese terms is OK. The 76ers suffered a crushing defeat in the tie-for-seven, with Harden and Embiid not performing well, with the two scoring only 24 points combined, while Tatum alone scored 51 points.
Rivers has two years left on his contract, and the 76ers have yet to make a decision on Rivers' future. Shelburne's revelations suggest that Philadelphia is likely to have a binary choice between Rivers and Harden. It was previously reported that Harden is expected to jump out of his contract and become a free agent. In addition to Philadelphia, the Rockets are the most likely next home, and Harden also has the potential to join the Suns.