James Harden takes bold stance with 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers have ended trade discussions surrounding James Harden. The 2018 MVP hasn't drawn the level of interest he may have expected upon handing in his trade request. And, it would seem that any trade discussions that have occurred behind closed doors haven't yielded the type of return the Sixers would deem adequate.
According to The Athletic's Sam Amick, Harden has no interest in returning to the Sixers for the upcoming season. As such, the future Hall of Fame candidate will look to ramp up the pressure by refusing to attend Philadelphia's training camp.
"No matter what signals the Sixers might send when it comes to trade talks, a source close to Harden reiterated that the 10-time All-Star and former MVP no longer wants to play for Philadelphia and has no plans of taking part in training camp," Amick reported. "Does that mean he won't report if a deal doesn't go down by that point, or that he'll make a messy spectacle of his training camp arrival like he did when he was trying to get out of Houston back in December of 2020? That part remains unclear, with Harden's side still expressing a belief that there will be meaningful developments on the trade talk front before that time comes."
Should Harden decide to boycott the Sixers' training camp, he will once again be risking his legacy. This would be the second time in Harden's career that he has refused to play for a team following his messy exit from the Rockets. There's a legitimate chance that Harden's reputation for growing frustrated with the franchises he plays for is part of the reason why so little interest has been shown in his services. After all, even at age 33, Harden is still among the best guards in the league and can be counted on to provide double-double numbers in points and assists. He lead the league in assists per game last season with 10.7.
Harden is fast running out of options. If the veteran guard continues to play hardball with the Sixers, he could find himself struggling to remain in the league beyond his current contract, and he would only have himself to blame.
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