The Philadelphia 76ers bounced off the NBA playoffs again. Despite Joel Embiid’s MVP-caliber season and having James Harden on the court, Doc Rivers’ team fell short of the expectations again.
Not many people trusted the Sixers to thrive in the postseason this year. They were a solid regular-season team but given their well-documented stories of playoff struggles; there was little confidence in their ability to dominate.
That’s why they must change the team’s culture. They need to dig deep in the market to try and revamp their roster. With that in mind, Zach Lowe of ESPN reported that they could make a run at Zach LaVine.
NBA Rumors: Sixers Could Make A Run At Zach LaVine
“It’s a loss for Philadelphia… if they think there’s another big whale out there they can try and go get… Whether it be a Bradley Beal or Zach LaVine,” Lowe said. “But you need Harden to take a significant salary drop… if you think that there’s a Tobias Harris taker out there.”
Amar’e Stoudemire Advises Sixers Not To Give James Harden A Max Contract
Harden is eligible to sign a max contract extension this offseason, which would hurt their chances to make a big splash in free agency. Considering that, former Nets coach Amar’e Stoudemire urged the Sixers not to pay Harden that much:
“If I’m the owner of the Sixers, I cannot commit to giving him a max deal,”Stoudemire said on ESPN’s Get Up. “I just don’t see the dedication that I would need to see from my top 75 player.You have to be able to have a certain level of determination and focus on being the best player you can possibly be and also be there for your teammates when they need you the most…If he’s not capable of doing that as a max player, I’m not going to be willing to now give you a max contract if you’re not showing me that you can handle the situation.”
Harden was a shell of himself this season, and that contract extension could set the Sixers back at least half a decade, all but wasting Embiid’s prime. But then again, Harden is Daryl Morey’s guy, so he’ll likely that he’ll get what he wants.
