After a brief holdout that included skipping the team's annual media day, James Harden returned to practice with the Philadelphia 76ers last week. He did not play in the team's loss to the Boston Celtics in their preseason opener on Sunday, however, and is still hoping to be traded.
On that front, the Los Angeles Clippers, his preferred destination, are pushing to get a deal done "sooner than later," according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The two sides are not close to an agreement, and, as the only team seemingly interested in acquiring Harden, the Clippers don't want to outbid themselves.
They've offered Philly more than anybody else has -- a first-round pick, a pick swap, expiring contracts. What the Clippers are trying to do right now is essentially say to Daryl Morey: 'OK, you don't believe that our 2028 unprotected first has enough value.' They're going around to other teams and seeing if that '28 pick and/or a pick swap gets them maybe multiple picks.
If you're a team that's interested in this conversation, teams that have lots of picks, could say 'OK, we'll give you two protected picks for that chance in 2028 that you're really bad.' Daryl Morey's looking at the Clippers and saying Steve Ballmer has never been under .500, they will figure out a way to have ac ompetitive team, that may not be a great pick.
For the Clippers right now, it's we're not trying to offer you more, we're not giving you that 2030 first-round pick, but let's see what we can turn that 2028 pick, see if we can flip it and then see if there's something that more interests Daryl Morey.
That being said, there's no traction, they're not close to anything.
Harden has not spoken to the media since he began practicing with the Sixers. His presence has not appeared to be an issue, with the training camp sessions described as uneventful.
Off the floor, Harden's activities this summer have been anything but. He first requested a trade in July after opting into the final year of his contract, and is yet to rescind it that request. In August, he pushed the envelope during an event in China by calling Morey a "liar" and adding he would "never be a part of an organization that he's a part of." He was later fined $100,000 by the league for those comments. An apparently unfazed Harden was recently seen partying at a club while signs that said "Daryl Morey is a liar" were displayed.
Harden has done everything in his power to force a move, but Morey has shown with the Ben Simmons saga that he will not bow to player pressure. Until an offer emerges that will make the Sixers better this season, Morey would rather keep Harden and try to make it work.
"If we don't get either a very good player or something we can turn into a very good player, we're just not going to do it," Morey said on a Philadelphia radio station earlier this summer.
