After Doc Rivers’ firing, offseason questions facing the Sixers include James Harden’s future and more

The first domino of a sure-to-be fascinating 76ers offseason arrived Tuesday morning, when coach Doc Rivers was fired following three seasons of regular-season success before falling short in the playoffs.

About a week before being dismissed, Rivers called the vast swings of the playoffs “emotional terrorism.” But the end of the Sixers’ season was more agonizing than jarring, thanks to the Boston Celtics’ third-quarter avalanche that sent the Sixers to a 112-88 Game 7 defeat Sunday.

Rivers is correct in that the embarrassing finale diminished, at least externally, what they had accomplished in the prior months. They navigated early-season injuries to standout guards James Harden and Tyrese Maxey — and an ongoing foot injury and playoff knee sprain to MVP center Joel Embiid. Their 54 regular-season wins were the franchise’s most since 2000-01. Embiid led the NBA in scoring for the second consecutive season, and finally captured the sport’s most prestigious individual award following back-to-back runner-up finishes.

But this season began with legitimate championship aspirations. Any result short of that — especially while failing again to break through the second round — was always going to bring an offseason filled with uncertainty.

Now, Rivers is out of a job. Identifying a new coach becomes the Sixers’ first priority. Here are five other storylines to monitor as the offseason begins.

Christmas morning is when an ESPN report first surfaced about Harden’s interest in returning to the Houston Rockets, where he morphed into a future Hall of Famer. He still has a strong connection to the city.

Those rumbles remained through the rest of the season. Now Harden officially has a decision to make this summer, after going a dismal 3-for-11 for nine points and seven assists in Game 7 of a roller-coaster series personally.

He has a $35.6 million player option to remain with the Sixers next season, or he can decline that and become a free agent. That would free up Harden to renegotiate a longer deal with the Sixers, or to sign with another team.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid, James Harden choke in a gutless showing in Boston. ‘The Process’ fails again.

When asked after Sunday’s game about his willingness to sacrifice salary and role to chase a championship this season, a frustrated Harden said, “We’re [losing] in the second round. It’s no different.” So it’s reasonable to expect Harden will want significant money after taking a pay cut to leave room for the Sixers to sign former Rockets teammates P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr. And that’s tricky, given Harden’s sharp inconsistency in the playoffs following a much steadier regular season, when he led the NBA in assists (10.7 per game), averaged 21 points per game and shot his highest percentage from three-point range since the 2011-12 season (38.5%).

Even if Harden leaves, however, the Sixers still lack the cap space to seamlessly fill that spot with a suitable replacement in star power or point-guard skills.

Which leads to …

Harris has taken an admirable step back — without public complaint — since Harden arrived and Maxey emerged as a dynamic scoring threat.

Harris has primarily become a catch-and-shoot offensive player, with a dash of transition finishes. He also vastly improved his defensive lateral quickness, allowing him to take on some of the league’s premier scorers. He averaged 14.7 points in the regular season, his lowest scoring mark since a 2015-16 season split between the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons, while also averaging 5.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

His near-max contract does not reflect that fourth-option role, and has long made him the subject of outside criticism. It’s also made him extremely difficult to trade. Yet he will finally be on an expiring deal entering this season, which could unearth some additional suitors. Such a deal could be used for the Sixers to bring in a different player who is a more appropriate fit on this roster — whether or not Harden returns — or multiple role players who can add depth and plug specific weaknesses.

This summer Maxey will be eligible to sign a lucrative rookie extension — possibly a max deal at five years and approximately $200 million — after a third NBA season that featured some ups and downs. That included the broken foot that kept him out for more than a month, a stint as the sixth man before moving back into the starting lineup for the stretch run, and an acknowledged midseason mental funk.

» READ MORE: Inside Game 7′s aftermath: Disappointment, frustration permeate TD Garden after Sixers collapse

Yet Maxey still put up impressive numbers. He has proved himself as a dynamite long-range shooter, ranking fifth in the NBA in three-point percentage (43.4%) on 6.2 attempts per game. He set new career highs with 20.3 points per game on an effective field-goal percentage of 56.8%. And he has established a genuine rapport with Embiid, who regularly encourages Maxey to shoot and play aggressively.

The next step for Maxey is getting into the All-Star conversation, and rounding out his game. Though his 6-foot-2 frame will always be a disadvantage on defense, he still needs to improve his awareness and positioning on that end of the floor. He also wants to improve as a playmaker and in shot creation deep in the clock, which the Sixers may need more of if Harden leaves.

President of basketball operations Daryl Morey tinkered with the Sixers’ roster last summer, most notably adding rugged forward Tucker in free agency and trading for 3-and-D guard De’Anthony Melton on draft night.

This summer will initially be about determining which players the Sixers want to keep, with four 2022-23 contributors about to hit free agency.

Georges Niang is a top-notch three-point shooter and intensity burst, while Paul Reed (a restricted free agent) is another fan favorite because of his rebounding and high-energy play while solidifying his role as Embiid’s backup center. Jalen McDaniels was acquired at the trade deadline as a wing they hoped could better impact both ends of the floor, but he was squeezed out of the rotation in the playoffs’ second round. Shake Milton is a microwave scorer who helped keep the Sixers afloat when Harden and Maxey were injured, but he was not a factor in the playoffs.

Montrezl Harrell, the reserve center and former Sixth Man of the Year who slipped out of the rotation, and House, an athletic wing who became a surprise boost in Game 5 of the Celtics series, also have player options for next season.

Embiid’s “can’t win alone” comment — a phrase he utters regularly while describing learning to trust his teammates and developing as a playmaker and leader — drew attention late Sunday. Yet the newly anointed MVP took personal accountability during a 20-minute media session for his poor showing in Game 7, when he shot 5-for-18 from the floor and finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.

“I’ve got to to be better,” Embiid said when asked what the Sixers still need to better challenge for a championship “ … If you want to call me the best player on the team, every failure and every loss — no matter what — I guess you can put on the best player. I’ll take it all, and it’s all on me.”

» READ MORE: Same old Sixers: Joel Embiid, James Harden sink as Celtics’ Jayson Tatum soars in Game 7 loss

Whenever any NBA environment turns even temporarily sour, the outside narrative tends to shift to wondering if that team’s superstar will become the next to demand a trade. Embiid has given zero indication that he wants out of Philly. He has embraced the city’s support — and edge. And this is the organization that helped him rise from losing two seasons because of injury, to emotionally accepting his MVP award in front of the Wells Fargo Center crowd.

But if there is significant upheaval this offseason, it will be interesting to monitor how Embiid reacts in the short and long term.