Why James Harden has leverage on the 76ers

Two days after the Sixers announced they were ending trade talks on Harden, Harden took to the offensive, calling Philadelphia's team president a "liar" and announcing he'd never play for him. Then, he rode a moped around a basketball court in China.

That wasn't just a light-hearted display. Harden is flaunting the rules in the new CBA, specifically the section prohibiting "driving or riding on a motorcycle or moped or four-wheeling/off-roading of any kind." But it's very unlikely that the 76ers will impose any discipline, at least if they truly want Harden to play for them next season.

That's the predicament facing Morey and the Sixers. When Ben Simmons asked for a trade in 2021, the Sixers let him sit out, fining him and waiting until nearly the deadline before trading him for Harden. But they also had more options to replace Simmons, with Tyrese Maxey, Shake Milton and Seth Curry to spell him at guard, plus Georges Niang, Matisse Thybulle and Danny Green on the wing.

Now there's simply not much depth. After Maxey and De'Anthony Melton, there's a steep drop off to 35-year-old Patrick Beverley at guard. At forward, their top backups are Furkan Korkmaz and Danuel House, Jr. That's simply not much offense off the bench, even if center Mo Bamba really is prepared to play power forward. And the Eastern Conference is much tougher than it was two years ago.

They're also trying to get a new arena. This standoff can't possibly be helping their cause.

It's unlikely Harden will sit out like Simmons did. No, he'll show up, but bad-mouth the GM, publicly party or simply not play hard - all skirting the boundaries of acceptable player behavior. Not only is that easy for Harden by now, he's having fun with it.

While Harden does need to sign a new contract next year, would forcing a third trade in three years really lower his value more than the first two did? Based on his lack of offers this summer, that ship may have already sailed.

But the biggest reason Harden has more leverage than his team can be explained with three letters: MVP. Joel Embiid is coming off his fifth second-round playoff loss in six years. He's already spoken about his desire to win a championship "whether it's in Philly or anywhere else."

Does the big man really want to go through another season where his best teammate is sitting out because he's fighting with the boss? Embiid's recent social media activity hints that he's unhappy with the current situation, removing "Philadelphia" as his location and removing "Processing," a nod the Sixers' "Trust the process" slogan.

The Sixers could have two max salary slots for free agents next summer. But they might have a disgruntled MVP who wants a trade, and a team president who has openly fought with two of his last three max players. They might want to revisit the trade talks for Harden before he decides to start riding a hoverboard.