September 8th 2023.
The Philadelphia 76ers have been in a difficult situation this offseason. All rumors have been focused on their star point guard James Harden, who requested a trade in June. Additionally, he called out Sixers owner Daryl Morey during his visit to China in August, and this resulted in a $100,000 fine from the NBA.
ESPN reported that the Sixers were making a good faith effort to trade Harden following the incident. The team had initial conversations with Harden's preferred team, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the New York Knicks, but neither team was willing to meet Morey's demands. This leaves Harden in Philadelphia with less than two months until the 2023-24 NBA season.
Morey and Harden had a great work relationship before the money got in the way, just as with many failed partnerships. Morey was the GM of the Houston Rockets when he traded for Harden in 2012, and he did the same when he became president of basketball operations for the Sixers in 2020.
Harden had expected to be compensated the same way he was in Houston, and he even took a $14 million pay cut so the Sixers could sign forward P.J. Tucker. Despite this, the team still had to evaluate Harden after the mid-season trade.
The Sixers had high championship aspirations in 2022, and Harden had a solid season. He didn't make the all-star team, breaking a 10-year streak. This caused tension between him and the team, and this was further exacerbated when the Sixers were knocked out of the second round of the playoffs and Rivers was fired in May.
Morey said that signing Harden was their top priority, but he was slow to make any offers. As a result, Harden signed his player option and requested a trade. Now, three months later, the team is still searching for a trade partner, while Harden is eager to leave Philadelphia.
It remains to be seen how this story will end.
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