This week has been a non-stop new cycle for NBA veteran James Harden. He’s currently in China for an Adidas event and has been trashing Philadelphia’s Daryl Morey. It’s someone that Harden has had a longstanding relationship with, dating back to the Houston Rockets. After Harden’s most recent comments, it would be hard to see him back with the 76ers next season.
At the end of this month, James Harden will turn 34. The 10-time all-star is well aware that he might not have many big-time deals coming his way in the future. That’s why Harden is trying to cash in right now, but the 76ers don’t want to pay him long-term. He opted into a $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season. However, he did this with the intention that the 76ers were going to find a trade for him.
Sixers’ GM Daryl Morey has been known to hold players and wait until the very last moment to trade them. We saw him do this just a few seasons ago. The Sixers traded Ben Simmons to the Nets in exchange for James Harden. Will Harden have the same fate at the trade deadline in 2023-24?
“I’ve been patient”: James Harden escalates Daryl Morey, Philadelphia feudhttps://t.co/ZK3oNwa2Gc
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 18, 2023
What are the chances that James Harden’s trade request is honored by the Sixers this offseason?
In the last week, James Harden has dug himself quite a hole with his unfiltered comments. On Monday, the PG trashed GM Daryl Morey and called him a “liar” publicly. Harden maintains the position that there’s no way for him to play for the 76ers next season. Just yesterday, a KHOU 11 reporter asked Harden if his relationship with the Sixers was beyond repair.
He answered, “I think so.” The all-star PG has made the situation between the 76ers and himself as uncomfortable as it can be. Usually, rumors are spread here and there about players’ unhappiness. Not in Harden’s case. There has been no hesitation from him to speak his mind.
Last Saturday, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the 76ers expect to have Harden at their training camp in September. After the week Harden just had, that doesn’t seem likely anymore. Harden has been very open that he wanted a max long-term deal from Morey and the 76ers. However, that wasn’t offered to him. There’s still time for the two parties to hash things out, but their relationship is undoubtedly on bad terms.
