James Harden has been with the Philadelphia 76ers for only a year and a half, but it looks like heâs made up his mind: The Beard submitted a trade request ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season.
At 33, Harden doesnât seem to be interested in running things back with the Sixers and instead looks determined to join the Los Angeles Clippers, who also aim to contend next year.
But of course, Philly reportedly had no intention of parting with Harden this offseason. According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, the 76ers are only accepting Hardenâs desire because of his great relationship with Daryl Morey, but only if his suitors meet their demands.
Sixers let Hardenâs suitors know their asking price
(Transcript via Sixers Wire)
âI think the Sixers have been pretty clear in that theyâre going to entertain conversations for James Harden because he has asked them to and Daryl Moreyâs relationship with James Harden goes back so far and theyâve done a lot of things together in this league that he feels like he owes it to him to entertain trade conversations.
But heâs also made it very clear weâre not going to trade James Harden for anything less than a player that they think puts them on the same percentage to win a championship and in Philly, they have this âWhat is your percentage to win a championship with the roster that you have?â So thatâs either a player comes back for James that helps them get there or a package that they can then use to get a player like that. And as you know, thatâs hard to get. I donât think theyâre in any hurry to do that when they have interest from the Clippers and a couple other teams, but nothing thatâs blown them away.â
see also
NBA: Tracy McGrady weighs in on James Harden"s future
Harden is still the kind of player that is hard to replace, which is why the Sixers wonât let him go so easily. Maybe itâs just a matter of time before the guard gets what he wants, but it wonât come cheap for his suitors.
