Could James Harden actually end up in China?

The ongoing saga between Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey leaves the former MVP's future in limbo. With Harden now 33 years old (turning 34 Aug. 26) and past his prime, all 30 NBA teams seem uninterested in offering a max contract. 

With a limited U.S. market, could Harden's final destination be China?

As ludicrous as it sounds, don't count it out.

"Every time I come here, the love is just like... it's crazy, you know what I mean? So I feel like they deserve to actually see me come play here," Harden told the Inquirer's 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey.

The love in China is so immense for Harden that he sold 16,000 bottles from his personal wine company in just minutes.

Taking into account Harden's decline over the past few seasons, the prospect of him playing overseas looms larger. He's a far cry from his Rockets self when he averaged 34.3 points on shooting splits of 44.4/35.5/86.5 percent in 2019-20. 

In Games 6 and 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics this past season, Harden averaged a measly 11 points, shooting a dreadful 26 percent from the field and 1-of-11 from beyond the arc. 

His more than underwhelming performance significantly contributed to Philadelphia's squandered 3-2 lead over the Celtics. 

"James Harden has everything to lose, and if he's not careful he could possibly be out of the league after next year... You can't trust him; he's been disgruntled for the last four out of five years... The NBA don't need him," former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins said on ESPN.

Adding fuel to the fire, his former coach with the Houston Rockets, Kevin McHale, recently blamed Harden and his work ethic for getting him fired, via Steve Bulpett of Heavy Sports:

"The next year he came to camp, he was fat and didn't feel like playing, and I got fired [11] games into the season. He had a plan." 

Harden has consistently demonstrated an ability to manipulate circumstances to his liking. This pattern began in Houston, persisted in Brooklyn and is now as evident as ever in Philadelphia. However, as Father Time catches up with "The Beard," his capacity to dictate his situation diminishes — a reality that's been unfolding all summer.

If he doesn't tread carefully, China will become his only viable option.