Over the last month or so, the Philadelphia 76ers remained on a standstill with James Harden and his camp amid the All-Star’s trade request. With him already having pinpointed a destination, not a lot of teams have been willing to engage with the front office and tender a serious offer in consideration of the fact that he’s entering the final year of his contract.
However, things are seemingly starting to move with more traction as both parties seek to find a resolution to this saga prior to training camp. While Harden has signaled his willingness to report to the team if a deal fails to push through, the 76ers may not be too warm to that idea considering the mess of his previously similar stance in Houston.
NBA insider reveals the 76ers have resumed James Harden trade talks with his preferred destination
The Athletic’s Shams Charania recently shed some light on what’s the latest on the Harden front. Charania bared that the 76ers and the LA Clippers are expected to re-engage on hopefully coming to terms on a trade that will send the former MVP to Los Angeles.
Sixers President Daryl Morey has already said that he intends to honor Harden’s wish to be moved this offseason, and it appears that a trade between both teams should be considered inevitable moving forward.
However, there could still be some impediments on ascertaining that a deal is finalized before deep into training camp. The Clippers have made it known that they are not interested in parting with their young players and draft capital to acquire Harden, while the 76ers actually have the leverage in this case in account of Harden’s contract and the new CBA rules.
Nevertheless, at this rate, unless a team somehow comes up with a better offer to entice Philadelphia while willingly absorbing the risk of getting Harden only for him to walk away for nothing in the summer of 2024, Harden will most probably don the Clippers’ colorways next season.
It’s certainly regrettable that the Philadelphia 76ers have to embrace a sudden change after posting a still-strong campaign last season, but the franchise simply has to move forward and try to mount another title bid next season before looking at their manifold options in the following year.