It has been nearly three months since Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden opted into his $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season and requested a trade. While no trade has emerged, it has many wondering what the 76ers next moves will be following when/if Harden is eventually traded. ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst suggests they could be big players in the 2024 offseason during free agency.
"Philadelphia right now has positioned itself to be a big free-agent player. I guess Philadelphia could swoop in and go after [Paul George] or [Kawhi Leonard]," Windhorst stated on his podcast The Hoop Collective.
Both George and Leonard have one more guaranteed year on their contract with player options in 2024-25. With that said, Windhorst previously reported that he believes the Clippers will not offer either of their star forwards a four-year extension, meaning there is a chance both players enter free agency next offseason.
If the 76ers and Harden find a way to resolve their problems and play out this season, Harden’s expiring $35.6 million contract combined with Tobias Harris’ expiring $39.27 million contract will create enough cap space for the 76ers to be major players in free agency this offseason. Could they pursue one of George and/or Leonard to pair up with reigning NBA MVP Award winner Joel Embiid?
With so much uncertainty surrounding these players and their contracts, it is unclear how things will shake out. However, this will be a situation to monitor going forward.
