Getty James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers
Despite the possibility that James Harden may leave the Philadelphia 76ers, and despite that Fred VanVleet has a rapport with Sixers head coach Nick Nurse during their time with the Toronto Raptors, it appears that the Sixers aren’t interested in reuniting Nurse with VanVleet even if Harden walks.
NBA Insider Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports revealed that Sixers won’t go after VanVleet even if Harden winds up leaving.
“But Philadelphia, sources said, is not expected to target Fred VanVleet in the event Harden departs via free agency, despite the obvious connection to new Sixers head coach Nick Nurse, who won a championship with VanVleet in Toronto in 2019.”
VanVleet’s not the only star player who the Sixers don’t plan to go after, even if Harden leaves. Fischer added that the Sixers are not interested in Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal.
“The Philadelphia 76ers…are also not expected to target Beal, league sources told Yahoo Sports, regardless of whether Harden decides to remain with the franchise.”
Despite the potential loss of Harden, which may not happen regardless, it appears the Sixers will not rush to add anyone to fill the void left by him.
Insider Reveals Why Sixers Aren’t Interested in Bradley Beal
Fischer was not the only one who refuted the Sixers’ possible interest in acquiring Beal. John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia said the same thing, adding that the Sixers’ faith in Tyrese Maxey, as well as Beal’s floated contract being a burden on their salary cap, are why they don’t want to acquire Beal.
“It’s my understanding the Sixers probably will not be a suitor for Bradley Beal. He has a big contract for a lot of money & with the new CBA with aprons that does not allow for much flexibility for roster building. And Sixers believe Tyrese Maxey can be an All-Star caliber player,” Clark said via his personal Twitter on June 15.
Beal will be paid $46.7 million this upcoming season, and that will spike up potentially to $57.1 million by the 2026-27 season should Beal opt into the last year of his deal. That’s a lot of money shelled out to someone who has made three All-Star teams and one All-NBA team in his career.
76ers ‘Not Desperate’ to Re-Sign James Harden
Losing Harden could be problematic for the Sixers, as they can’t simply replace him with another star via free agency. Despite that, it appears they aren’t too desperate to keep the 2018 NBA MVP, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Windhorst said on NBA Today that the Sixers want Harden back, but because of the other options they have, they aren’t hellbent on keeping Harden at all costs.
“The Sixers are not desperate,” Windhorst said. “While they absolutely want James Harden back, and I think there’s a way they can play together and still be highly successful, the Sixers have other moves they can make. If Harden walks, they have cap space. They have tradeable contracts. They have things they can do. Harden is important but not the end-all and be-all for the 76ers.”
This may speak volumes for how far Harden’s value may have fallen as a free agent, but only free agency will determine what kind of contract he gets on the open market.
