James Harden’s bleak future with the Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. For the second year in a row, they got bounced in the second round, and unfortunately, this time around was just as embarrassing.

Last season, the conversation was about Ben Simmons and his unwillingness to shoot the ball. But luckily for the Sixers, they traded him at the deadline for James Harden, who averaged 30 points a night just two years ago.

So this time around, the conversation should be different, right? Nope. Now, the talk of the town is how Harden took only two shots in the second half of Philly’s elimination game.

James Harden’s bleak future with the Philadelphia 76ers

Sixers fans are right to be frustrated with Harden, but it’s not completely his fault. He’s just not the same player he once was, and he was showing signs of that with the Brooklyn Nets.

Harden is a shell of his former self, and based on the comments made by Joel Embiid after Philly was eliminated, they know that. Now, it’s all about the future.

The former MVP has a $47 million player option for next season. While he could opt out and try to work out an extension with the Sixers, that may not be in his best interest, as he’d probably lose a ton of money.

According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, ‘nobody in the NBA’ expects Harden to receive a max contract from the Sixers. (H/T Bleacher Report) That means declining his player option would see him lose millions.

With how disappointing Harden was in the playoffs, this news shouldn’t come as a surprise. But looking at how dominant Harden was just a couple of years ago, it’s crazy to see how much he’s declined.

It’s not a perfect example, but is it crazy to compare his path to Kemba Walker’s? Harden was obviously a much better player than Walker at his peak, and he still is, but they both rapidly declined over the past couple of seasons.

Regardless, it’s hard to blame Embiid for being frustrated. For two years in a row, his co-star refused to shoot the ball when needed. That has to hurt.