On May 19, Beijing time, according to NBA celebrity Jack Fisher, some people within the Philadelphia 76ers said that Harden played a key role in the removal of coach Rivers this week. Multiple staff members on Rivers' team said they believe Harden was the "driving force" behind Rivers' departure. Reggie Miller worries that Philadelphia may be in vain, because firing Rivers does not ensure that Harden stays on the team.
It was previously reported that Harden plans to decline the player option for next season and become a free agent seeking to sign a long-term contract with the 76ers or other teams. He had a bad relationship with Rivers and was unwilling to continue playing for Rivers, and when Philadelphia was faced with a binary choice, he chose Harden. Subject to the 38-year-old clause, the 76ers can offer Harden a maximum of four years, $210 million in contracts.
Rivers was 154-82 as the 76ers' three-year coach but was eliminated every year in the second round of the playoffs. They lost to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, which became Rivers' last game in charge of the 76ers. Harden averaged 21 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists this season, and 20.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game in the playoffs, but was not efficient, shooting less than 40 percent from the field. In the G6 and G7 losses to the Green Army, Harden went 7-of-27 and scored just 22 points.
Zach Lowe said the Rockets want Harden to return to the offtown, and the 76ers have raised the possibility of resigning Harden through a coach change. Philadelphia's new coach will choose between Budenholzer, Monti, Nas, D'Antonis, Vogel and Cassel, and if keeping Harden is a priority, D'Antoni may be the best option if keeping Harden, who played for him at a time when his personal data was at its peak.
Miller said: "I love Harden, he is a Hall of Fame first nominee, and I still love him. But I would choose to keep Rivers because there is no guarantee that Harden will stay, and if you fire Rivers, Harden may still go. ”
Perhaps deeply troubled by some public opinion, Harden recently updated his personal IG and wrote only one sentence: "Experts are really not experts." "Rivers is out of class to make Embiid unhappy, will the relationship between the two deteriorate if Harden stays?