76ers taking hard stance in James Harden trade talks?

Nov 15, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) arrives to Toyota Center prior to the game against the Indiana Pacers. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

James Harden opted into his contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in an attempt to force a trade, but the former MVP may not get his wish anytime soon.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarwoski said on “SportsCenter” Sunday that the Sixers seem to be in no rush to grant Harden’s request. Woj compared the situation to when Ben Simmons wanted out of Philly.

“You saw how Daryl Morey handled the Ben Simmons situation a couple of years ago. He waited him out, waited him out, tried to convince him to come back,” Wojnarowski said, as transcribed by Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report. “Now, it never worked but what’s different with James Harden is there’s a relationship with (president of basketball operations) Daryl Morey, with Tad Brown, the president who oversees the 76ers, from back with their time in Houston. That’s a different factor in this. And so far, teams who’ve talked to Philadelphia, the asking price is extremely high. That’s what you expect starting out with Daryl Morey. Again, I think this is a process that’s not going to get resolved quickly.”

Though they lost in the conference semifinals for the third straight time this season, the Sixers still have every intention of trying to contend for a championship next year. Joel Embiid would likely be unhappy if they took any other approach.

What that means is that the 76ers are not going to want to trade Harden if the deal makes them worse in the short-term. We have already gotten an idea of their asking price, and it sounds like they are holding strong with it.

The Sixers have been mentioned as a potential suitor for Damian Lillard, so they may try to include Harden in a deal for the star point guard. For now, there is reason to believe Lillard would not be in favor of that.