Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden has been adamant that he won’t play for a team that Daryl Morey runs, but he’s expected to join his team ahead of the 2023-24 season this week. While Harden missed the first team practice at Colorado State he’s expected to arrive as early as Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Harden opted into the final year of his contract over the offseason but isn’t satisfied with 76ers management. His relationship with Morey, the 76ers’ president of basketball operations, has soured, causing Harden to seek a trade. The Los Angeles Clippers were one of the frontrunners to land the 33-year-old guard, but trade talks fizzled out in September.
This isn’t the first time Harden has attempted to force his way out of an undesirable situation, as the Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets shipped off the 10-time All-Star after he vocalized his desire to leave. Whether it’ll work this time remains to be seen, though. Interested teams seem hesitant to give up coveted assets in a deal.
Harden isn’t the scorer he once was but remains one of the NBA’s premier playmakers. He notched a league-high 10.7 assists per game and was a major part of Joel Embiid’s first-ever MVP season.
