James Harden didn’t show up to the Philadelphia 76ers media day. However, according to NBA insider Jared Greenberg of NBATV, the Sixers expect Harden to report to the team to make things “painful” until he’s traded.
Harden wants the Sixers to trade him to the Los Angeles Clippers. If Harden holds out for more than 30 days, the Sixers can stop him from entering free agency in the summer of 2024, according to NBA insider Zach Lowe of ESPN. Since Harden is in the final year of his contract, different NBA holdout rules would apply to him if he decided not to report to training camp and play.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
The Sixers agreed to search out a trade upon Harden’s request after Harden 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.
In 58 games for the Sixers last season, Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists. He led the NBA in assists per game for the second time in his career.
Harden was fined $100,000 by the NBA for calling Daryl Morey “a liar” during his Adidas tour in China. Harden no longer has a relationship with Morey. The 2017-18 MVP 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, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
Harden was born and raised in Los Angeles. He has a rapport with Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and is close friends with Russell Westbrook. Harden and Westbrook were teammates on the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets.
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