The Philadelphia 76ers will try to take the next step to title contention during the upcoming NBA offseason, with the team now having Nick Nurse as their head coach and some decisions to make this summer.
The No. 1 priority for the 76ers moving forward will be what to do with superstar guard James Harden, who will become an unrestricted free agent next month.
As of right now, all signs point to Harden leaving the team to sign with the Houston Rockets in NBA free agency, with the 76ers being completely fine with that outcome.
However, there has been talk over the past week or so that Harden is torn on his upcoming decision, and that’s not all surprising as he may be picking money and losing in Houston rather than a significant role and winning in Philadelphia.
Kenny Smith of NBA on TNT believes that this is not a tough decision, and if Harden thinks about it that it’s a no-brainer to stay playing alongside Joel Embiid, via John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
“You are playing with the MVP of the league. I don’t know how you can pass that up… I would not be torn. I would be a Sixer.”
-Kenny Smith on James Harden being torn between Philly & Houston
🎧Podcast with Kenny on Sixers🔽https://t.co/z3zgmPthm7 pic.twitter.com/OPLV8wwFhh— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) June 7, 2023
In Houston, the Rockets have a ton of talented young players that might be years away from making any noise in the Western Conference, which means Harden would be wasting what time he has left of his prime years to struggle on a losing squad.
Yes, the Rockets brought in head coach Ime Udoka to help right the ship, which will definitely help, but this is still a major risk for Harden as there’s no guarantee that Houston will turn things around quickly or that the team will turn it around at all.
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Nick Nurse Comments On James Harden’s Free Agency