NBA Insider on Harden's Next Contract: "There Is No Other Team Out There"

The Philadelphia 76ers and James Harden are facing a tumultuous summer after yet another early playoff exit, and a very underwhelming performance from Harden. When he was asked after their elimination at the hands of the Miami Heat if he would be picking up his $47M player option, The Beard had replied "I'll be here." But NBA Insider Bobby Marks wonders what that will look like, and what Harden's earning power really is.

"I think if James Harden opts into his contact there isn't going to be a significant payday waiting for him next year," said Marks on SiriusXM NBA Radio Monday morning. 'I think it's smart for both sides to figure out what a deal is going to be...  There is no other team out there willing to give him $35-$40M dollars."

Putting it bluntly, Marks said "there's not really another landing spot" for Harden, so both sides need to tread carefully on what happens next.

Marks, in February, after the Sixers acquired Harden from the Brooklyn Nets,  actually said about a possible Harden max extension, "that contract will be the worst contract in NBA history."

Marks is now doubling-down after the results of Harden's first couple of months in Philly, saying "the only thing I was wrong about was (I meant) 3 years from now, I didn't mean 3 MONTHS from now!"

Yikes. Fun times in Philly this summer.