James Harden trade talks get deflating update from Adrian Wojnarowski: "There's a different kind of pressure" 

The James Harden trade discussions have hit a standstill because the Philadelphia 76ers are not content with the offers they've received, but the 10-time All-Star is poised to bring discomfort to the Sixers, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

On "NBA Today," Wojnarowski said that Harden could bring to the Sixers a “different kind of pressure” when training camp starts.

“There's a different kind of pressure, I think, that James Harden can put on this organization once he arrives,” Wojnarowski said. “But I don't expect this to be a significantly engaged front office between now and training camp.”

According to Wojnarowski, there hasn't been a significant alteration in the Harden trade situation.

“The James Harden situation is largely unchanged since Philadelphia called Harden, told him that they had tried finding a deal and that they couldn’t find one to their satisfaction, and that they plan to bring him back to camp and then (deal with) the fallout from there,” he said.

The Sixers have been hesitant to trade Harden because they think that their team performs at its peak with the 34-year-old star, whom they obtained in the Ben Simmons deal.

“The one thing, you know, about Daryl Morey is that he doesn't like to do trades — no GM wants to do a trade where they feel like they don't get value back. And I think the sense in Philadelphia is that the best team (they) can put on the floor is with James Harden,” Wojnarowski said.

“But the Sixers, largely their sole focus is trying to put a championship roster around Joel Embiid. Their clock is ticking in a very different way than the Blazers. And I think right now this is not an organization that's out."

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Which teams are interested in James Harden?

According to Wojnarowski, two teams have expressed interest in Harden: the New York Knicks and the LA Clippers.

The Sixers will probably request RJ Barrett from the Knicks and Terance Mann from the Clippers, but these players alone wouldn't meet their demands.

Harden averaged 21.0 points and a league-leading 10.7 assists per game last season. He is slated to earn $35.64 million in 2023-24 and will become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

Harden incurred a $100,000 fine from the NBA for publicly calling Morey a "liar" during his Adidas tour in China.

The NBA initiated a probe into the events surrounding Harden's public criticism of Morey. As part of the inquiry, Harden informed investigators that Morey had promised to trade him quickly after exercising his player option for the 2023-2024 season.