Speculation that 76ers gave “wink-wink guarantee” to Harden for big payday next summer

When the 76ers traded for James Harden at the February deadline, there was an expectation he would sign a massive contract extension this offseason.

Then Harden took the court. The way he played the final month of the season and in the playoffs — saving his worst for last, a low-effort performance where he took and missed just two shots after halftime the game that ended the 76ers’ season — there was no way GM Daryl Morey and Philadelphia could max Harden out. It would have been malpractice.

Instead, Harden opted out of the $47 million he was owed and says he told Morey to go sign whoever the 76ers needed to so they could contend, and he would take the rest. The 76ers went out and got P.J. Tucker, Danuel House and traded for De'Anthony Melton — three defensive and role-player upgrades that put the 76ers much closer to the Bucks and Celtics at the top of the East. Then Harden re-signed with the 76ers for $33 million on a 1+1 deal — Harden can be a free agent next season.

That has led to whispers and speculation around the league that Morey and Harden — who have been close since both were in Houston — agreed that if Harden took a haircut this season on his salary, Morey would make it up to him next summer. From Marc Stein on Substack:

…there is a suspicion in some corners of the league that Harden had to have consented to this arrangement because he also secured a wink-wink guarantee about the future — meaning a promise from Morey that would allow Harden to recoup what he left on the table this offseason by declining the player option for next season in his new Sixers deal and then signing a whopper of a five-year deal in the summer of 2023 at almost 34. Such speculation is inevitable given how close Morey and Harden