In February 2022, James Harden put himself in a position to succeed again by leaving the Brooklyn Nets for the Philadelphia 76ers. However, things didn’t go to plan in the City of Brotherly Love, and his future looks up in the air.
The Beard opted into a player option in the summer only to get traded ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season, but the Sixers have yet to find him a new destination. In the meantime, things got pretty ugly between the veteran guard and the team.
Harden’s stance in regard to his future hasn’t changed but he is still reporting to training camp waiting to see what happens. On Friday, Harden talked to reporters about his situation and made it clear there’s no way to fix his relationship with the front office.
Harden says his relationship with 76ers’ front office cannot be repaired
If there was still at least a slim chance to make amends with the Sixers, Harden made sure to bury it by calling out President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey, calling him a liar during the offseason.
Though he’s still showing up to the team’s facilities, the 34-year-old told Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer that his relationship with the front office is beyond repair. “No. When you—and this is not about this situation. This is in life. When you lose trust in someone, it’s like a marriage, when you lose trust in someone, you know what I mean? It’s pretty simple.”
Harden has pushed for a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers but nothing has come to fruition yet. Philadelphia has reportedly set high demands to let the guard go, making this saga too long for everyone.
Though he probably wanted to be elsewhere – in LA, specifically – Harden has been a true professional about this situation, doing his job by reporting to Sixers’ training camp even if his desire is to leave the team.
Harden says he wanted to retire a Sixer
The former NBA MVP admitted this is not an easy time, blaming the Sixers front office for leading to this situation. Harden said he was happy to be in Philly and planned to retire there, but things changed after seeing that wasn’t in the front office’s plans.
“It’s literally out of my control,” Harden said, via Sixers Wire. “It’s something I didn’t want to happen to be in this position, but I gotta make a decision for my family. I understand this is a business. It’s just as simple as that. I come in here today, I work my butt off, and do the things necessary as a professional as I’ve been doing for 15 years.”
SURVEY Can the Sixers contend without Harden?
Can the Sixers contend without Harden?
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Harden’s future remains uncertain, as the Sixers don’t seem to be doing enough to find a new home for the disgruntled star. Without him, Joel Embiid would once again face a challenging task in trying to take this team to a deep playoff run.
