76ers have surprising stance on James Harden situation?

Feb 25, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden (1) brings the ball up court against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

James Harden opted into his contract with the Philadelphia 76ers only to demand a trade, but the team has reportedly not quite given up on bringing the former MVP back for at least another season.

On the latest episode of his “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” podcast, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said the 76ers can envision a scenario where Harden remains with the team. There is apparently a belief among some that the two sides may have simply been frustrated with one another over contract negotiations.

“One, the Sixers are not afraid to let it be known that they don’t think necessarily it’s over with James Harden, that maybe everybody was just a little bit in their feelings,” Windhorst said, as transcribed by HoopsHype. “And a little bit fired up about the state of the negotiations on Thursday, and Harden very angrily picked up his option, that it may not be over that.”

It is possible, of course, that the Sixers want interested teams to believe Philadelphia would be content to keep Harden. Daryl Morey handled the Ben Simmons trade talks similarly, and we all saw how long those dragged out.

The 76ers almost certainly wanted to re-sign Harden at a discounted price. They likely believed Harden would not receive max offers if he hit free agency, and the 33-year-old must have agreed. Only teams with sufficient salary cap space would have been able to add Harden if he became a free agent. He now needs the Sixers to cooperate with a trade, however, and there have been reports that they are taking a hard stance.

Superstars in today’s NBA typically get their way when they want to be traded. That does not mean it would be impossible for Harden and the 76ers to smooth things over.