Sixers could still trade James Harden, but there's a major catch

James Harden has bailed on every single team he’s played for, and no one in the NBA seems even remotely willing to pay him what he wants. Simply put, he’s stuck with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Of course, he could decide to hold out, but that could only benefit the team, as they’d simply withhold his pay. Also, trying to force his way out could only lower his value, thus making it even more difficult to move him.

That’s why John Hollinger of The Athletic believes we’re far from the end of this saga, stating that the Sixers could play the long game and wait until the trade deadline before moving on from the former Houston Rockets star.

Sixers Might Trade Harden At The Trade Deadline

(Via John Hollinger – The Athletic)

“Now, the leverage is gone. Instead, Harden opting in leaves the Sixers highly incentivized to play the long game; the trade deadline is the only upcoming leverage point, and it’s still six months away. By then, a lot of water could go under the bridge and other teams’ situations could change, leading Philly to a more plausible end game than the dead ends currently available. The Sixers already saw this play out before with Simmons.

(…)

As with Simmons, Harden’s best ploy in the meantime is not to hold out — which would result in the team being able to withhold pay — but instead to show up and be such a distracting, wearying pain that the team will do almost anything to be rid of him. Copying Durant’s “Insult the GM” tactic is a start, but this will require a sustained effort.”

see also

James Harden destroys Sixers GM Daryl Morey

Morey is as hardnosed as Harden is, so things will likely get worse before they get any better. Also, it might be a very long while before we see him wearing different threads.