76ers, Clippers ‘Nowhere Close’ On James Harden Trade

The Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers are “nowhere close” to making a James Harden trade, according to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Harden is away from the Sixers tending to his sick mother in Houston. The 2017-18 MVP requested a trade from the Sixers to the Clippers in June, but since Philadelphia wants Terance Mann and Los Angeles doesn’t want to trade the guard, Harden remains on the Sixers.

The Sixers don’t know if Harden will play on opening night versus the Milwaukee Bucks. This situation could get messy if Daryl Morey doesn’t trade The Beard.

Harden appeared in 58 games last season for the Sixers. He averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists during the regular season and led the NBA in assists per game for the second time in his career.

In the 2023 playoffs, Harden averaged 20.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 8.3 assists in 11 games versus the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics. The Sixers lost to the Celtics in the second round in seven games and Harden played poorly in Game 7, finishing with just nine points on 3-of-11 shooting from the field.

A 10-time All-Star, Harden has career NBA averages of 24.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 7.0 assists with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Nets and Sixers. The lefty requested a trade from the Rockets in 2020-21 and was dealt to the Nets. Harden then requested a trade from the Nets in 2021-22 and was sent to the Sixers.

Harden exercised his $35.6 million option for this season in June with an expectation that Morey would trade him to the Clippers. Harden called Morey a liar during his Adidas tour in China over the summer since he wasn’t traded to LA and the NBA fined the future Hall of Famer $100,000. Harden, 34, no longer has a relationship with Morey and doesn’t want to play for the Sixers ever again.