Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden turned down his $47.3 million option and became a free agent, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday.
Harden is sticking with the possibility of negotiating a new deal that will give the Sixers’ roster flexibility in free agency — including using the full $10.5 million exemption.
In Harden’s conversations with the team since the end of the season, he has detailed his desire to help the organization reshape the roster toward the championship, sources told ESPN.
The opt-out could go a long way towards transforming the Sixers bank, including this full mid-level exemption, the $4.1 million biennial exemption, and sign-and-trade deals.
Teams can begin negotiating free agent contracts starting Thursday at 6:00 p.m. ET. However, those players won’t be able to officially sign until July 6th at 12:01pm ET.
Harden, 32, averaged 22.0 points and 10.3 assists in 65 games with the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia last season after being released from Brooklyn as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Ben Simmons the other way was sent to Philadelphia.
However, his arrival changed nothing for Philadelphia in the playoffs, as the 76ers lost in the second round for the fourth time in five years and once again failed to reach at least the Eastern Conference Finals.
Harden spent just a year at Brooklyn after his hugely successful eight-year run at Houston ended early in the 2020-21 campaign when he was sent to the Nets to pair future draft assets with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Instead, the trio’s first season playoff run – whose disappointing nature could easily be attributed to a sprained ankle for Irving and a hamstring injury Harden struggled through – ended in a second-round loss to eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks.
Then last season, Harden’s relationship with the Nets soured after Irving was unable to play due to New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Harden was eventually shipped to Philadelphia, where he was reunited with his Houston basketball operations president, Daryl Morey.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.