James Harden trade conversations are 'ongoing,' per report
It seems likely the Philadelphia 76ers will trade star guard James Harden this offseason, though the team still has interest in keeping him if possible. Harden recently opted into his $35.6 million player option and requested a trade from the franchise after spending not even two full seasons in Philadelphia.
ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski appeared on SportsCenter on Tuesday, where he revealed that 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey could “try to convince” Harden to stay. However, the team is still preparing for the possibility that they may have to send him elsewhere.
“Daryl Morey, their president, he’s got a long history with James Harden, and certainly, if there’s a way, as the summer goes on, to try to convince him that they can still make this work together, that he has a chance to compete for a championship with the Sixers,” Wojnarowski said. “At the same time, the team’s trade conversations are ongoing, a process that could last throughout the summer.”
Morey and Harden spent eight seasons together with the Houston Rockets, where Morey served as general manager from 2007-20. They reunited in the 2021-22 season when Harden was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the 76ers.
The past two seasons have seen Philadelphia bow out of the playoffs in the second round, however, and it fired coach Doc Rivers this offseason. Philly had a 3-2 lead on Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals before dropping the final two games of the series.
The 76ers bring back most of their core players from 2022-23, including Joel Embiid, and signed Patrick Beverley, Harden’s former teammate in Houston. They also brought on Nick Nurse, who won an NBA Championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, to serve as their next head coach. However, it appears Harden still has doubts about whether the team is the right fit for him.
Wojnarowski has previously mentioned the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks as teams expected to engage in a potential trade for Harden. The guard has also expressed a desire to return to Houston.
If Harden is traded, it would mark the third time in the past three years as well as the fourth in his career. The trade to the Nets famously saw him team up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, though Brooklyn also failed to make it out of the second round with that group.
Wherever he plays, Harden still has talent left in the tank to make an impact in his 15th NBA season. This past year, he averaged 21.0 points and a league-leading 10.7 assists while shooting 44.1%.