We probably should have seen this coming the whole time. If James Harden’s plan was to sign a contract extension with the Sixers, it always made the most sense for him to become a free agent first. The rational choice was always either/or: Harden exercises his $47.3 million option and plays out the year for the Sixers, or the two sides agree on a contract extension that lessens the Year 1 salary-cap hit and gives the team the financial flexibility it needs to accomplish its offseason goals. The big question was whether Harden and the Sixers were as married to each other as both have indicated …
