As we sift through the few remaining names on the free agent market entering into the longest intermission on the NBA calendar, two trade demands are poised to dominate the rumor mill over the next few months: Damian Lillard and James Harden.
Both of these deals could take a while to get done. One of them, the latter, might not get done at all, with Sam Amick of the Athletic indicating there's a belief among league executives that Daryl Morey is actually aiming to quell the Harden trade momentum with the intent of keeping him in Philadelphia.
Problem is, Harden still wants out, according to Amick, and the Clippers remain his preferred destination. From the Athletic:
Yet despite all that relevant history, and in spite of the fact that Morey may know Harden, and all of his complexities, better than anyone in the NBA, rival executives with whom I spoke at summer league were universally convinced that the Sixers are now attempting to keep Harden. Discontent be damned.
The sluggish trade talks between the Sixers and Clippers about Harden would seem to support this stance. Morey is known to be asking for the kind of return that — as of Tuesday afternoon — left the strong impression that he had no genuine interest in getting a deal done anytime soon.
Harden's stance has not changed, a source close to him told The Athletic. He still wants to leave Philadelphia. He's still upset with how Morey handled his situation heading into possible free agency last month. And even with the recent revelation that Harden attended the same NBPA party as Sixers co-star Joel Embiid and former Sixers owner Michael Rubin in Vegas, he's still determined to start next season in a Clippers jersey.
Harden gave up theoretical money last summer, which afforded the Sixers more room to add peripheral pieces, notably P.J. Tucker. Does Harden believe that the Sixers, in the form of a long-term, huge-money deal, should repay him for his good deed? It sounds like it.
The Sixers are smart not to do that. Harden, who'll turn 34 before the summer is over, is locked in for this season at $35.6 million. If he wants to prove he's worth what he thinks he is, now's the time. He can cash in next summer, be it in Philly or elsewhere.
We'll see how long Morey is willing to drag this out if Harden makes it uncomfortable come training camp. We saw how he forced his way out of Houston, and then Brooklyn. He's surely not above putting his team in a tough spot by basically quitting on everyone until he gets his way.
Morey was super patient when Ben Simmons and it netted him Harden. Now Harden is the one who wants out, and if history is any indication, Morey -- his personal relationship with Harden notwithstanding -- isn't likely to make a deal on anyone's terms but his own.
