Getty President of basketball operations Daryl Morey
Daryl Morey has some decisions to make with the Philadelphia 76ers, particularly with what he does with James Harden, who opted into his contract on June 29 in the hopes of being traded.
Despite Harden’s trade request, there appears to be more indications that Morey has no intention of granting the former MVP’s request. The Athletic’s Sam Amick gave the latest details on July 13.
“Rival executives with whom I spoke at summer league were universally convinced that the Sixers are now attempting to keep Harden. Discontent be damned.
“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,” Amick wrote.
The Clippers don’t have many appealing assets to trade for Harden outside of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who they likely won’t offer in a deal for Harden. This could be a negotiating tactic, or Morey may be banking on Harden suitors becoming more desperate to trade for him as time goes on.
Daryl Morey Willing to Wait Until Possibly Training Camp
On July 12, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported that Morey is remaining firm on his insistence not to trade Harden and is willing to wait as far as training camp to keep him on the roster.
“Even with Harden’s continued interest in joining the Los Angeles Clippers after opting into a $35.6 million salary for the 2023-24 campaign, there was nothing resembling a real update on his dynamic with Philadelphia, aside from the familiar musings that Morey and the Sixers aren’t afraid of taking his trade process into September — and perhaps training camp if need be,” Fischer wrote.
Morey has been through this with Ben Simmons back in 2021, and he managed to turn him into Harden when that situation was resolved. He may very well believe he can get something worthwhile for Harden as he did for Simmons.
‘No Hurry’ for Sixers to Trade James Harden
On the July 11 episode of ESPN’s NBA Today, Insider Ramona Shelburne said that while Harden remains firm on his request, the Sixers won’t rush a trade.
“They’ve spoken again, and he still reiterated that he wants to be traded. Now this is not a demand. It’s a request. And I think that the Sixers have said, ‘OK, we will try to trade you,’ but there is no hurry to do this,” Shelburne said.
Shelburne explained why the Sixers have the upperhand with the Harden situation.
“I think the Sixers understand here that they have the leverage here. I mean James has picked up his option, this is an opt-in to his contract, and he’s going to be a free agent after this season. So at some point, he needs to play, whether that is in Philadelphia or elsewhere.”
Shelburne mentioned the factor of Harden’s teammates as to whether he may rescind his request.
“Plus, there is a sense that if they can give it some time and he’s cool with his teammates—he’s been talking to Joel Embiid, he’s been talking to Patrick Beverley, P.J. Tucker—that eventually, maybe these fences can be mended and there is a path to reconciliation with James Harden. But for now, he has reiterated his trade request.”