James Harden moving closer to making season debut with 76ers?

Feb 13, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden (1) during warmups against the Houston Rockets at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

James Harden may be moving closer toward playing for the Philadelphia 76ers despite his well-documented issues with the team.

76ers coach Nick Nurse confirmed that Harden attended the team’s pregame walkthrough and video session Sunday ahead of the home opener against Portland. Nurse added that Harden is expected to take part in practice on Tuesday.

“All signs are positive conditioning-wise and all those things,” Nurse said, via Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “We just need to get him in some live action then hopefully we can do that Tuesday.”

This certainly suggests that the 76ers are serious about getting Harden ready to play after his abbreviated training camp. The team’s next game is on Thursday against Toronto, and they could realistically have Harden ready for that game.

The relationship between harden and the organization remains strained, as events from the last week have demonstrated. However, with trade talks stalled for the time being, the two sides may have to simply deal with each other going forward.