The Philadelphia 76ers have decided they will not trade James Harden in the near future, but that does not mean the former NBA MVP is going to show up to work.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Saturday that the Sixers have ended trade talks involving Harden and plan to bring him back for the start of 2023-24 season.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Harden’s stance on wanting a trade has not changed. The 33-year-old still wants out of Philly and has no intention of reporting to training camp.
If you remember, Harden created some drama during training camp with the Houston Rockets when he was trying to force a trade three years ago. Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey was the general manager in Houston at the time. Morey is well aware that Harden could take the same approach in Philadelphia, but Morey is not about to trade Harden at a heavily discounted rate.
Harden surprisingly exercised his $35.6 million option for the upcoming season and asked the Sixers to trade him. Harden wanted to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, but nothing materialized. Philly also was taking a tough stance in their trade talks. Another problem is that the Clippers reportedly took an unserious approach to the trade talks.
There have been reports that Harden does not have a good relationship with the Sixers, so things may not go smoothly over the next few months.
