The James Hardan saga has no end in sight.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Los Angeles Clippers are "stepping back" from Harden trade talks.
James Harden trade talks stall between Sixers and Clippers
Harden recently spent 10 days away from the Philadelphia 76ers to attend to a personal matter. He returned to practice on Wednesday, but the team asked him not to travel for Thursday's opening night game in Milwaukee. Harden will ramp up with coaches and G-League players at the Camden practice facility in anticipation of Philadelphia's home opener on Sunday.
This is hardly a surprising twist for those engaged with the ongoing Harden saga. The Clippers have expressed an unwillingness to seriously engage with Daryl Morey, who has the audacity to demand more than expiring contracts and a single first-round pick for the two-time MVP.
Harden's stock has been irrevocably damaged by years of postseason flameouts and trade demands, but he averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 10.7 assists on 64.7 TS% last season. He was a consensus top-10 member on MVP ladders and the clear second-best player for a title contender. No matter how hard you balk at "title contender" as a term for the Sixers, Harden clearly has the ability to impact winning in the regular season. He also had two 40-point games in that Celtics series, lest we forget.
Frankly, the Clippers keeping Terance Mann off the table was a sign of Los Angeles' complete un-seriousness in these conversations. We have seen how Daryl Morey handles star trade requests. His determination to win every trade can get tiresome, but he's not going to settle for the bargain-bin price on a player of Harden's caliber. That's good team-building strategy.
How Harden proceeds will be especially interesting. The Sixers have seen him deploy sabotage to get away from teams in a past, but Daryl Morey is not Sean Marks or Rafael Stone. The Sixers are perfectly willing to play hardball and fine Harden while he sits at home. If he plays poorly on purpose, a trade market won't materialize and Harden will actively hurt his prospects for a lucrative new contract in 2024.
For Harden, the best way off the Sixers is probably to show up, be a good sport, and remind teams around the NBA that he's still a superstar point guard. He can't lead a team like he once did in Houston, but Harden is a tier-one facilitator who collapses the defense with every drive to the cup. His efficient, more complementary skill set in Philadelphia would elevate a number of contenders to the next level — the Clippers included.
The Sixers are also in a tough position here, of course. Harden's contract expires at season's end and he has no desire to stick around. He's plainly not re-signing if Morey remains in the president's chair. That said, it would also behoove Philadelphia for Harden to play (well) and work up his trade value. It's important to squeeze maximum value out of the Harden trade with questions about Joel Embiid's future louder than ever.
For now, however, the unhappily married couple will continue to share the same bed.
