James Harden and 76ers are both screwed on his trade request

Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Why James Harden’s 76ers trade request is leaving both sides miserable.

James Harden is fully entrenched in another period of discontentment — only this time, the aging superstar may not be coveted enough around the league to get what he wants. For the third time in a little more three years, Harden has requested a trade, this time to get away from the Philadelphia 76ers. He still hasn’t been moved a month and a half after he put in his request, and the Sixers leaked that they’re ending all Harden trade talks over the weekend.

Harden issued his own update on his trade request during a weekend tour in China with Adidas. He didn’t mince his words: “Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be part of an organization that he’s part of.” Watch the video here:

Morey, Philadelphia’s top basketball decision-maker, once traded for Harden a decade ago in Houston to ignite his transformation into a superstar. When Morey left for the Sixers, his first big move was trading Ben Simmons to land Harden. After consecutive playoff flameouts, Harden wants out — namely, he wants to be dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers — but doing so could interrupt Morey’s long-term team-building plans (more on this in a minute).

The fact that this happened in China, where Morey once created an international uproar, isn’t lost on anyone.

Hanging in the wind during all of this? Reigning MVP center Joel Embiid. The 76ers superstar turns 30 years old, and has already made comments this summer he’s ready to win a championship whether it’s in Philadelphia or elsewhere.

NBA training camps open on Sept. 27, and it feels like Harden vs. the Sixers could drag out way beyond then. Here’s why every side is stuck with a lack of leverage.

Harden could have been a free agent this summer, but chose to opt-in

James Harden had a player option for $35.64M for the 2023-24 season with the Sixers. Harden would have been a free agent if he turned down that option. Instead, he picked it up and told the Sixers to trade him.

Harden opted in for two reasons:

He didn’t see any team with both the cap space and the willingness to give him the max contract he desires in free agency after the Houston Rockets dropped out of the running following the hiring of new head coach Ime Udoka.
He hoped to be extended by this new club with his bird rights after being traded.

As Harden’s hold out continues to drag on, it’s important to remember this is a problem of his own making.

Harden wants the Clippers, but the Clippers won’t bid against themselves

Harden, an LA native, named the Clippers as the team he wants to play for when he put in his trade request. Morey, as the Sixers’ lead decision-maker, said he’d only trade Harden for a star-level return. The Clippers reportedly kicked the tires on Harden, but weren’t going to offer every available asset to get the deal done with no apparent outside market.

Again: Harden could have signed with the Clippers this offseason on a much, much smaller contract if he really wanted to. Instead, he decided to get his money (smart move!) and cause havoc again. Unfortunately for the star guard, the Sixers’ apparent big plan involves Harden’s money coming off the books completely.

The 76ers want to open two max slots in free agency next summer

The Sixers are feeling pressure from their side, too. Embiid is one of the very best players in the league, but his supporting cast hasn’t been good enough in Philadelphia to get the team past the second round the playoffs (Embiid deserves some blame there, too).

Morey’s big plan to save the Embiid era is to try to sign two max-ish players in free agency in 2024 when Harden and Tobias Harris both have their contracts expire. Players who could become free agents next year include Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Pascal Siakam, Jrue Holiday, and DeMar DeRozan. Philly is a little short of opening up two max slots, but the thought from Morey is that veteran stars will line up to play with Embiid and chase a championship.

Philadelphia’s 2024 plan only works if they don’t take back any long-term money in a Harden trade. We have ourselves a stalemate.

Harden’s leverage is Embiid status

Harden is reportedly determined to hold out of training camp if the Sixers don’t trade him. Harden’s angle is obvious: if he’s not playing, the Sixers won’t be a championship contender, and Embiid could get upset at the organization for wasting one of his prime seasons.

Embiid has been through this before, back when Simmons was holding out and the team hung onto him until they could land Harden in a trade. Does Embiid really want to play big minutes every night on a team that isn’t good enough to compete for a championship while Harden sits out without a trade? The nightmare situation for the Sixers is Embiid asking for a trade. We’re not there yet, but it isn’t hard to imagine how the situation lands there eventually.

The Sixers’ leverage is Harden’s earning potential

Harden turns 34 years old before the start of the season. He fancies himself as a max player, but it appears that the league no longer values him as such.

If Harden wants to sign the biggest contract possible in 2024, he needs to have a great season. He can’t have a great season if he holds out, or tanks his own play like he once maybe did in Houston.

Harden took a pay cut last year to help the Sixers, and still didn’t get the contract he wanted

Harden did the Sixers a massive favor last year by taking a $15 million pay cut so the team could add role players P.J. Tucker and Danuel House to improve their championship chances. The thought was that the Sixers would reward Harden for his sacrifice a year later by giving him a lucrative long-term deal. Whether or not that was actually promised is something the public will never know, but clearly it was Harden’s intention.

The Sixers did not win the championship, instead being eliminated in the second round again. Harden had two brilliant playoff games in the series against the Boston Celtics, but also put up a few of his signature postseason stinkers. The Sixers decided giving Harden a long-term contract wasn’t their best path to a championship. Harden responded with a trade request.

There’s so much pressure for both the Sixers and Harden to get what they want

Harden wants the biggest contract possible on his next deal after leaving money on the table last year. He also wants to win a championship, but apparently not so much that he’ll return to play with Embiid.

The Sixers want to help Embiid win a championship. They realize Harden’s best years are behind him. The organization believes their best path forward is signing big name free agents with cap space a year from now, so they need to keep their books open.

Philly wants Harden to return and play out this season in hopes of one more title run. Harden is disgusted by the organization for refusing to give him a long-term contract after taking a pay cut last year. Neither side is giving in without a fight.

Expect Harden vs. the Sixers to drag on for months. This is going to get uglier before it reaches a resolution.