Getty Nick Nurse
The Philadelphia 76ers could be in for some big changes, even if said changes may not happen right away. Among the uncertainty going on with James Harden at the moment, a new player has popped up as a possible trade target – Pascal Siakam.
Matt Moore of Action Network mentioned the Sixers as one of the three teams that could trade for Siakam, though there appears to be some level of skepticism that the Toronto Raptors are going to trade him.
“There was a lot of chuckling when I brought up reporting out of Toronto that the Raptors were exploring deals for Pascal Siakam,” Moore wrote. “The Hawks, Thunder, and Sixers (in a multi-team trade) were among those mentioned as possible landing spots if Toronto does actually move the All-NBA forward.”
If the Sixers go through with the Harden trade and managed to get Siakam back in a multi-team trade, as Moore alluded to, Siakam is far from a bad return for Harden. Siakam is a two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA forward, and an NBA Champion. The Sixers would have to mix and match a few other areas to make room for Siakam, but he would be better than losing Harden for nothing.
Daryl Morey ‘Has No Genuine Interest’ in James Harden Deal
Though Harden still wants off the Sixers, The Athletic’s Sam Amick revealed from his own intel that President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey’s plans are to keep Harden around with no interest in trading him.
“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.
Even if Harden is on an expiring contract, Morey has from now until the trade deadline to decide on a trade. Despite Harden’s request, Morey clearly will not resolve the situation for the sake of solving it as soon as possible.
James Harden Situation May Extend to Training Camp
Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported on July 12 that despite Harden’s interest in joining the Clippers, Morey and the Sixers are prepared to wait out the situation for as long as potentially the start of training camp.
“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.
By opting in, Harden is still under contract with the Sixers for another season. With the trade request, Morey has a limited time period to capitalize as much as he can on Harden’s value as a player. Morey and Harden are in a staring contest to see who blinks first.