NBA Rumors: Sixers still want to keep James Harden despite trade request

Philadelphia 76ers star guard James Harden requested a trade earlier this offseason after he failed to agree on a contract extension with the franchise.

Harden did so after opting into his $35.6 million player option for next season. The star guard can now threaten to leave Philly in free agency next summer if the team doesn’t fulfill his trade request.

On top of this, Harden has a reputation for being a player who can be difficult to deal with when he doesn’t get his way. However, despite all of this, it appears that the Sixers may still roll the dice and keep Harden around next season.

According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, rival executives around the league unanimously believe that Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey wants to keep Harden. Amick said it is believed that Philly plans to do so regardless of how discontent Harden becomes:

“Yet despite all that relevant history, and in spite of the fact that Morey may know Harden, and all of his complexities, better than anyone in the NBA, rival executives with whom I spoke at summer league were universally convinced that the Sixers are now attempting to keep Harden. Discontent be damned,” Amick wrote.

Amick added that slow trade talks between Philly and Harden’s preferred trade destination, the LA Clippers, have reflected this notion:

“The sluggish trade talks between the Sixers and Clippers about Harden would seem to support this stance.

“Morey is known to be asking for the kind of return that — as of Tuesday afternoon — left the strong impression that he had no genuine interest in getting a deal done anytime soon.”

Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.8 3-pointers per game on 44.1% shooting over 58 games this past season.

Harden then averaged 20.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 8.3 APG, 1.8 SPG and 2.8 3-pointers on 39.3% shooting over 11 playoff games.

James Harden is still determined to get out of Philly

Philadelphia 76ers star guard James Harden

Later in his report, Sam Amick added that despite the Philadelphia 76ers hoping to retain James Harden, he is still determined to get out of Philly. Amick said that the LA Clippers remain Harden’s preferred trade destination:

“Harden’s stance has not changed, a source close to him told The Athletic. He still wants to leave Philadelphia. He’s still upset with how Morey handled his situation heading into possible free agency last month.

"And even with the recent revelation that Harden attended the same NBPA party as Sixers co-star Joel Embiid and former Sixers owner Michael Rubin in Vegas, he’s still determined to start next season in a Clippers jersey.”

It remains to be seen if trade talks between the Sixers and Clippers will heat up at any point this offseason. But for now, it’s looking increasingly likely that the Harden trade saga could drag into the start of next season.