Mediocrity is not something that pleases Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard James Harden. That is why he does not want to repeat the season he and his team had in the NBA. As a star, he is aware: he has to sacrifice for the team, even if it means a blow to his earnings.
The NBA season that culminated with the crowning of the Golden State Warriors is not one that The Beard will remember with a smile, as in the 21 games he played with the 76ers he averaged just 21 points, 10.5 assists and only 6.5 rebounds, something that came hand in hand with the fewest shots attempted per game in his career (13.6).
And although Philadelphia managed to sneak into the Playoffs, their road ended after overcoming the Toronto Raptors in the first round, when Miami Heat stopped them in the Conference Finals, with a gray performance by James Harden (just an average of 18.6 points, 8.6 assists and 5.7 rebounds).
James Harden would injure his purse so 76ers can fight for NBA throne
The 1982-1983 season ended nearly 40 years ago, the same amount of time the Philadelphia 76ers haven’t known what it’s like to win an NBA championship. A drought that James Harden would be willing to fight to end in the season that begins.
According to reports from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, James Harden would be willing to forgo exercising his final year of his contract with the 76ers, which would mean forfeiting $47.4 million, to be signed by the team as a free-agent under a much less lucrative contract.
The Beard would do this with the full intention of providing Philadelphia with the resources necessary to make signings that could shore up the weaknesses of the roster to fight to break their 40-year drought without winning an NBA championship. It is worth noting that in his 13 years as a professional basketball player, Harden has not won any collective title either.