What season will Harden play for? Harden has signed a contract extension with Philadelphia for the 2023-2024 season, when he has a player option. The news is that Harden wants to execute player options first and then seek to trade himself to a competitive championship team. Generally, the 76ers will first consult Harden.
Currently, Harden only has a choice of executive player options. That's because, if Harden joins the Rockets as a free agent, they have plenty of salary space, but the Rockets have pulled out of the pursuit because Harden is asking for too much, and the Rockets are said to be willing to offer a four-year, $200 million contract.
However, things are unpredictable. Harden's trade value declined after events like the Nuggets' win, the 76ers' underperformance and the draft. The Spurs and Jazz don't need Harden, and the Pistons just hired Monty Williams to develop a consistent roster that makes the playoffs. Teams like the Thunder, Magic, Hornets, and others already have their own backcourt core, so Harden's team can only look for another way to prove its worth.
It's a continuation of last year's idea of executing the player option for this pay cut contract first and then seeking a trade. Although it is a helpless choice, it may be a better choice for yourself and the team. There is currently news that the Clippers and Knicks are interested in Harden. The Clippers are currently one of the teams that have exceeded the luxury tax line the most. Marcus Morris, Covington and Batum will all enter contract year next summer, and as can be seen in the Green Army Porzingis trade, Coffey is the only young player the Clippers can shoot.
Young players like Terence Mann, Highland and Boston don't seem to want to come out, while the Clippers have one more first-round and seven second-round rounds from next year until 2026 and they've been looking to gamble in exchange for their current success. However, because Harden has experienced too many failures, he has become more conservative. Since the team could rebuild at any time, his trade value dropped. The Knicks may be interested in Harden because they have relatively good salary control and they have a number of expiring contracts, many of which are team options.
However, if that does happen, Brunson, Randle and Harden may have too many points of possession, which could cause Brunson and Randle to rely too much on the body and confrontation, and Harden's style of play contradicts it. However, the likes of Mitchell Robinson may be happy about this. Recently, there was another team interested in Harden, and that was the Bulls, who began asking for a trade for LaVine, which seems to indicate a disagreement between the two sides.
The Bulls have Harden's good friend DeRozan, and if they release LaVine, they need draft picks in exchange for Embiid's healthiest years. However, they were not strong contenders for the championship, so they could not meet Harden's conditions.
Why is Harden's choice getting harder and harder? Today, the team's thinking is very different from before, they are no longer overly superstitious about the present, especially after the Nuggets' victory, many teams seem to have regained their desire to make blood.
