76ers' handling of James Harden situation could come back to haunt them

The Sixers are chasing Paul George this offseason and their past mistakes could come back to haunt them. Appearing on his Podcast P with Paul George, the All-NBA veteran insinuated that the Sixers' handling of James Harden's situation may have created a "reputation" for Philly ahead of George's free agency.

“Believe it or not, players talk. And then reputations go around, like, ‘Hey man, I don’t know about going to this place, because they… [shoot]. Watch your back, you know what I mean?’ That’s the conversations you have.”

Harden is not the biggest fan of Daryl Morey as the star was not given what he says was promised (a new max contract) after the former Rocket took a short-term discount (two-year, $68.6 million contract signed in 2022) so the franchise could sign valuable role players like PJ Tucker and De'Anthony Melton.

James Harden ended up being traded to the Clippers, becoming teammates with George, and averaged 16.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game on 42 shooting. It's easy to imagine that Harden would not be the biggest supporter of Morey as the guard publicly called him a "liar" in 2023.

On the other hand, Paul George's basketball services have been highly coveted by the Sixers. Philadelphia is flush with cap space this offseason and can possibly sign George to a long-term max deal. The Clippers can offer the most to George but the franchise is seemingly unwilling to offer the four-year, $223 million contract max they are allowed to offer under league rules.

The franchise has reportedly not been willing to go beyond the three-year, $152 million deal that Kawhi Leonard was offered and then accepted. While George's 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game on 47 percent shooting may not reach the heights of Leonard's play, the veteran can be depended on a lot more as the Claw faces extreme durability concerns.

Sixers handling of James Harden could come back to haunt them

George spoke further on his podcast "on what he's looking for in free agency". The star said his decision would be less about "chasing a championship" and more about a team that plays "the right style of basketball is what I'm chasing." With that in mind, it's easy to say that George likely wants to stay with the Clippers this offseason.

One could assume that George will take the Sixers' bigger offer but this decision will probably come down to the wire. While the Sixers could make their blockbuster Paul George signing this offseason, their GM's poor reputation is leading the star to return to the Clippers on what will likely be a lower deal.