Amare Stoudemire: If I’m the owner of the 76ers, I can’t commit to giving James Harden a max deal

Nets coach and former NBA big man Amar’e Stoudemire recently slammed Harden, saying that he does not deserve to receive a max deal from the Sixers. “I can’t commit to that,” he said of offering James Harden a max deal. “If I’m the owner of the Sixers, I cannot commit to giving him a max deal. I just don’t see the dedication that I would need to see from my top 75 player. You have to be able to have a certain level of determination and focus on being the best player you can possibly be and also be there for your teammates when they need you the most. … If he’s not capable of doing that as a max player, I’m not going to be willing to now give you a max contract if you’re not showing me that you can handle the situation.”
Source: Jonathan Sherman @ ahnfiredigital.com

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Shandel Richardson @ShandelRich
A lot on the line for James Harden in this series: si.com/nba/heat/miami… – 1:24 PM

Stefan Bondy @SBondyNYDN
Optimistic view is Nets finally learned. Catering to Irving got them 1 playoff series victory in three years, a wronged head coach (Atkinson), a silly choice of DeAndre over Jarrett, a disgruntled (Harden), a damaged (Simmons) and an enormous payroll.
nydailynews.com/sports/basketb… – 12:45 PM

Anthony Puccio @APOOCH
Former Nets assistant Amar’e Stoudemire questions James Harden’s dedication, commitment on ESPN pic.twitter.com/TCgKj8uRgy – 12:44 PM

Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
Joel Embiid is back at his customary spot with James Harden at the far basket as we get let into shootaround before tonight’s Game 6. Embiid wasn’t on the court when we got let in prior to Games 3 and 4. – 11:11 AM

Rob Mahoney @RobMahoney
James Harden has become a conditional superstar: theringer.com/2022/5/12/2306… – 9:58 AM

Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Most 40-point games, last 4 postseasons:
– Giannis Antetokounmpo (now 7)
– Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant (6)
– Devin Booker, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Murray (4)
– Damian Lillard (3)
– James Harden, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum (2) – 9:53 PM

J. Michael Falgoust @ThisIsJMichael
Game on the line who do you trust to make the 3 in a pivotal playoff game: Harden or Giannis?
Do you want to trust your stats or your gut? – 9:46 PM

StatMuse @statmuse
Most 40-point playoff games since Giannis joined the league:
17 — LeBron
10 — Durant
9 — Harden
7 — Giannis pic.twitter.com/09viZnVP9A – 9:34 PM

Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
From today’s press conference, Sean Marks started the season by predicting extensions for James Harden and Kyrie Irving. He ended it by being much more cautious after a wild year. On the start of a crucial Nets offseason: theathletic.com/3306751/2022/0… – 6:19 PM

Jorge Sierra @hoopshype
“Not sure if this is breaking news to anyone, but players have biases and agendas, too. Just look at what happened during the All-Star starter selection after James Harden forced his way out of Brooklyn. Kevin Durant refused to take him.”
usatoday.com/story/sports/f… – 4:10 PM

Michael Scotto @MikeAScotto
Sean Marks on James Harden: “I think when players’ minds are made up, I think it’s foolish to try & change their minds. If it’s not a fit & you’re paying a guy $30+ million & it doesn’t work, you have to make a decision. I think that’s something that we did. We pivoted quickly.” pic.twitter.com/RtKB0geZ6A – 3:53 PM

Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
Is James Harden still that guy for the Sixers?
@Frank Isola & @Brian Scalabrine discuss the tough situation Philadelphia is facing right now
#PhilaUnite pic.twitter.com/jMOlJh9iUs – 2:36 PM

More on this storyline

On a recent episode of The Athletic NBA Show, Sam Amick shared some intel on James Harden’s contract situation with the Philadelphia 76ers. Amick says Philadelphia may know Harden won’t demand a max deal in free agency. “When the Sixers got him, their intel was that he would potentially be willing to take less. And obviously, you know, nobody knows him better than Daryl (Morey),” said Amick. -via RealGM / May 4, 2022

Sam Amick: When the Sixers got (James Harden), their intel was that he would potentially be willing to take less. And obviously, you know, nobody knows him better than Daryl (Morey). -via Spotify / May 4, 2022

“So here’s my second conspiracy theory,” said Zach Lowe on his podcast. “This one, James Harden himself just debunked, if you care about what is said at press conferences. So James Harden, it was reported I think by The Athletic, that James Harden opted in as part of his trade to Philadelphia. Then it was reported hours later that he in fact had not opted in. Then it was reported days later that the reason he had not opted in was that he just missed the deadline to file the paperwork with the NBA league office. The fax got stuck in the machine. Or the signature couldn’t be found or something. “Here’s the conspiracy. This is the one going around the league that James Harden, to be clear, just debunked. He’s going to decline his option, re-sign for less money, so that Philadelphia can dump Tobias Harris into somebody’s cap space and open up if they dump some other people an almost, almost, almost max slot for a third star. That’s the one that’s going around the league. And people who say that are like, ‘If that happens, some eyebrows at the league office might be raised.’ -via RealGM / February 16, 2022