PHILADELPHIA — The actual fireworks arrived in Philly throughout July 4th weekend. But not the metaphorical ones that would set the NBA transaction cycle ablaze — at least when it comes to James Harden.
Harden is still a 76er, nearly one week after exercising his $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season with the intention that he will be traded.
How long will this saga linger? That could depend on which instinct — and track record — prevails: Daryl Morey’s to remain steadfast and wait until his desired deal emerges, or Harden’s to make things uncomfortable when he wants to leave a team.
The Sixers were in a similar position two summers ago, when Ben Simmons made his trade demand and said he would not report to training camp following the aftermath of the disastrous series loss to the Atlanta Hawks. After briefly returning for two preseason practices — including one during which he was kicked out for not participating in a drill — Simmons never played for the Sixers again. That created a cloud over the 2021-22 team and season. But had Harden’s unrest with the Brooklyn Nets not surfaced leading into the deadline, Morey possibly would have pushed the awkward uncertainty into the summer.
(In hindsight, perhaps the Sixers wish the Sacramento Kings’ reported package would have materialized on both sides, given that point guard Tyrese Haliburton has rapidly ascended into an All-Star with a newly minted max contract. The Kings instead traded Haliburton and Buddy Hield to the Indiana Pacers for Domantas Sabonis and others at the deadline.)
Harden, meanwhile, accompanied his 2020 request to be traded out of Houston with skipping part of training camp to party in Las Vegas and Atlanta (while flouting then-stringent COVID-19 protocols). And when he wanted to leave Brooklyn about a year later — while Kyrie Irving was unable to play home games because he refused to get vaccinated and Kevin Durant was injured — Harden turned visibly disinterested on the court.
Harden’s circumstances this time, however, are a bit different. The soon-to-be 34-year-old is essentially playing for a (final?) lucrative contract, after he clearly did not have the leverage he expected ahead of his opt-in decision. The Sixers were not willing to hamstring their short- or long-term future with an unwise (a.k.a. four-year max) Harden deal. The Rockets also apparently were not, instead agreeing to terms with an in-his-prime Fred VanVleet on a three-year, $130 million max deal.
ESPN reported over the holiday that the Sixers may try to reconcile with Harden, to persuade him to continue building with a roster anchored by reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid and led by new coach Nick Nurse.
The Inquirer reported similar sentiments at times during the Simmons ordeal, that the Sixers hoped he would rejoin the team. But after those two practices, things became untenable and messy. Simmons cited mental health struggles as a reason he was not ready to return to play. The Sixers withheld nearly $20 million of Simmons’ salary, although the two parties eventually reached a settlement for Simmons to recoup a portion of that money.
Yet hopes for a repaired relationship could be more realistic between Morey and Harden, who obviously share a deep history dating back to their collaborative success in Houston. It’s a massive reason Morey pursued such a reunion at last year’s trade deadline, and then added multiple former Harden teammates last summer.
Harden had an All-Star-caliber regular season in 2022-23, leading the NBA in assists (10.7 per game) while averaging 21 points and 6.1 rebounds and creating a lethal two-man attack with Embiid. But Harden struggled to finish at the rim, and his production dramatically fluctuated in the playoffs — including two 40-point games in the second round against Boston, followed by a 3-for-11 stinker in an embarrassing Game 7 defeat.
Recent precedent outside of the Sixers also exists that suggests this saga could linger. Durant requested a trade from the Nets hours before free agency began last summer, but no deal materialized until the late-night deadline blockbuster to the Suns. One could even go back to Anthony Davis’ in-season trade request from the New Orleans Pelicans in 2018-19, which was not resolved until he went to the Los Angeles Lakers the ensuing summer.
Additionally, that superstar Damian Lillard has finally formally requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers adds an obvious layer for the Sixers to decipher.
The Miami Heat are reportedly Lillard’s top (and only?) preferred destination. But, unlike Wizard-turned-Sun Bradley Beal, Lillard does not have a no-trade clause in his contract. That means the Trail Blazers technically do not need to bow to his wishes, though doing so would be an act of goodwill for perhaps the best and most loyal player in franchise history.
Could the Sixers aim to take a two-pronged approach to their roster shuffling? That would include first trading Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers — by far the most widely reported landing spot — for a collection of assets, such as the expiring contracts of Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, and/or Robert Covington, intriguing young guard Terance Mann, and/or draft capital. Then, the Sixers could flip some of those players and picks — and, most importantly, include dynamic guard Tyrese Maxey — to pull off a Lillard deal.
One could wonder if the Sixers are better by adding Lillard but subtracting Harden and Maxey, depending on which role players remain. Because this holding pattern also has clearly impacted the Sixers’ abilities early in free agency.
They lost three players — sharpshooter Georges Niang, athletic wing Jalen McDaniels, and combo guard Shake Milton — who were in the rotation at various points last season, although all for raises that, regardless of Harden’s decision, the Sixers likely would not have been able to match without some roster finagling. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Sixers’ only free agency addition was defensive guard Patrick Beverley, who agreed to sign a one-year veteran’s minimum contract.
Meanwhile, the post-July 4th wait for Harden fireworks continues.
And it could be a lengthy one.
