The Philadelphia 76ers may have to choose between guard James Harden and head coach Doc Rivers this offseason.
"Behind the scenes, from what I'm told, one person said to me it would be hard for me to see James wanting to come back and play for Doc again," ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported Monday.
Harden has a $35.6 million player option for 2023-24, which means he will become a free agent if he declines it. That could put the 76ers in a position where they would need to give him a multiyear offer to keep him in the fold.
The 10-time All-Star didn't exactly sound like someone itching to return to play under Rivers following Sunday's loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series.
"Our relationship is OK," he told reporters when asked about the dynamic he had with his coach.
Harden's postseason failures are becoming a defining part of an otherwise Hall of Fame career, and he didn't exactly flip the narrative after Philadelphia seized a 3-2 lead against Boston. He went 4-of-16 from the field during a Game 6 loss at home and then went 3-of-11 in the decisive Game 7 defeat.
The Arizona State product also turned the ball over a combined 10 times in those two games.
Rivers isn't exactly a shining example of playoff dominance, either, even if he did coach the Celtics to the title in 2008. Following Sunday's loss, his teams have now blown seven combined playoff series in which they held a 3-1 or 3-2 lead.
Philadelphia hasn't been past the second round of the playoffs since Allen Iverson led the 76ers to the 2001 NBA Finals, and the pairing of Harden and Joel Embiid wasn't enough to change that this season even though the big man was the league MVP.
The team is at a crossroads this offseason with Harden expected to be expensive and set to turn 34 years old in August. Throw in the questions about his relationship with Rivers, and some of the major pieces may look different in 2023-24.
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