James Harden requested a trade out of Philadelphia earlier this offseason, but the Sixers are not obliging.
The team has reportedly cut off trade talks for the 2018 NBA MVP.
Philly had conversations about the guard with the Los Angeles Clippers, rumored to be his preferred destination, but the two were unable to reach a deal that worked for both sides.
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James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles against the Boston Celtics during the third quarter in Game 6 of the 2023 Eastern Conference semifinals at Wells Fargo Center May 11, 2023, in Philadelphia. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Harden opted into the final year of his contract for $35.6 million with the apparent hopes he would be moved, but the Sixers now reportedly plan to bring him into their training camp.
Shortly after opting in, Harden scrubbed all Sixers references from his social media. He was hoping to be traded to Philadelphia when he was a member of the Houston Rockets, but they instead traded him to the Brooklyn Nets in 2021.
However, the Nets sent him south on the Jersey Turnpike the next year.
Daryl Morey, the 76ers general manager, who spent eight seasons with Harden with the Rockets, said he was “attempting to honor” Harden’s request but only if Philadelphia receives significant compensation in return.
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“I do have a long relationship with him. I’m attempting to honor that,” Morey said in a radio interview with 97.5 The Fanatic in July. “But the reality is that if we do look at a trade, it’s going to be for one of two things.
“It’s either going to be for a player who continues to help us be right there like we were last year, up 3-2 on one of the best teams in the East, the Celtics.”
James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers prepares to shoot a free throw during Game 6 of the 2023 NBA Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics May 11, 2023, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
In his two seasons in Philadelphia, Harden has averaged 21.0 points, 10.6 assists and 6.4 rebounds per game alongside Joel Embiid, who was named the NBA’s MVP last season.
The Sixers failed to reach the Eastern Conference finals for the 22nd consecutive season when they lost in seven games to the Boston Celtics in May.
With the team once again falling short of expectations, the Sixers’ front office made an immediate change, firing head coach Doc Rivers after three seasons and replacing him with Nick Nurse.
James Harden and head coach Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers during a game May 14, 2023, at the TD Garden in Boston. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
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Harden will turn 34 in August, entering his 15th NBA season.
Fox News’ Joe Morgan and Chantz Martin contributed to this report.
