On the latest episode of his NBA podcast called “Maxey on the Mic,” Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey talked about James Harden, who has requested a trade from the Sixers.
“James is his own individual. He’s able to do whatever he pleases,” Maxey said. “I’m preparing right now to play with him or without him. That’s just the business side of it. And there’s no love lost. I love James to death. If he decided he was gonna come back and play with us, I think there’s nobody in this organization that would be upset about that.”
The Sixers believe they will be a championship contender if Harden returns alongside Joel Embiid and the team is determined to find a way to make it work with Harden next season. However, according to NBA insider Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Harden will never play for the Sixers again and has no plans of taking part in training camp if he’s still on the team.
Harden was fined $100,000 by the NBA for calling Sixers president Daryl Morey “a liar” during his Adidas tour in China. Harden no longer has a relationship with Morey. The 10-time NBA All-Star called the exec a liar since he wasn’t traded quickly after opting into his 2023-24 player option.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden, Tyrese Maxey & Philadelphia 76ers Updates
In 58 games for the Sixers last season, Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists while shooting 44.1% from the field, 38.5% from 3 and 86.7% from the free-throw line. He led the NBA in assists per game for the second time in his career.
The Sixers agreed to search out a trade upon Harden’s request after the talented guard picked up his $35.6 million player option for next season in June. However, Philadelphia’s asking price for Harden was steep and no teams were willing or able to meet it.
Maxey, who will become a restricted free agent next summer, believes the Sixers will still be a dangerous team next season whether Harden is on the roster or not.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden, Tyrese Maxey & Philadelphia 76ers Updates
“We have talent,” Maxey said. “We have the reigning MVP on our team. We have to go out there and expect to win and expect to still try to complete our goal. It’ll be definitely even more difficult now that one of our best players, as of right now, decided he doesn’t wanna come back and play, and that’s how life goes.”
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