Sixers Rumors: Philadelphia has positioned itself to be a big-free agent player next offseason

Well, it seems that James Harden’s desired move out of Philadelphia won’t be happening prior to the start of training camp.

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Los Angeles Clippers have decided to halt trade negotiations with the disgruntled Philadelphia 76ers guard, citing the excessively high asking price as the reason.

As a result, the Clippers have chosen to explore other options.

Windhorst shared the most recent update on The Hoop Collective podcast, noting that the Clippers had expressed interest in acquiring Harden, but unfortunately the two parties couldn’t reach a mutually acceptable agreement.

While it remains a possibility, albeit slim, there’s a chance that the Clippers and Sixers may revisit trade talks when the trade deadline approaches.

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Windy said a lot in this podcast, but there was something that really stood out, particularly to Sixers fans. After explaining how the Clippers are probably not going to be giving Kawhi Leonard and Paul George 4-year contract extensions, he mentioned the 76ers potentially being in the mix for one of the two stars.

Brian Windhorst on Kawhi/PG & Sixers next offseason

“As far as I know those guys want to be in Los Angeles, and so if they opt out and become free agents, I guess somebody could go after them. Philadelphia right now has positioned itself to be a big free-agent player. I guess Philadelphia could swoop in and go after Paul or Kawhi. Are they going to Philly? Or someplace like that? I don’t know, maybe it’s not the worst set of risk factors for the Clippers to play it out that way.”

Heading into the 2023-24 season, the Sixers have allocated approximately $174.7 million in salary across 17 players. Notably, James Harden accounts for $35.6 million, and P.J. Tucker’s contract stands at $11 million, but it’s unlikely that either of them will remain on the roster for the following year.

Additionally, there’s the intriguing situation of Tobias Harris with his hefty $39.2 million contract. It goes without saying that the team should have significant financial flexibility, even after potentially offering Tyrese Maxey a contract extension.

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