Getty James Harden
James Harden no longer wants to play for the Philadelphia 76ers. That’s been clear since he opted into his contract with the team on June 29 – as reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania – and remains the case after he called Daryl Morey a liar and vowed never to play for him again on August 14. The one loose thread is determining where to send him.
Bleacher Report’s Doric Sam floated a trade that would send Harden to a destination not many would think of – the Utah Jazz. Sam laid out the package the Jazz could offer for Harden.
“Another team with assets to play with is the Utah Jazz, who could package together players like Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, Kris Dunn, and Talen Horton-Tucker, along with draft picks to persuade the Sixers to let go of Harden.”
Outside of their own picks, the Jazz own multiple first-round picks from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves, thanks to the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trades in 2022, that could potentially appease the Sixers.
Sexton will enter the second year of a four-year, $71 million contract he agreed to in the sign and trade as part of the Mitchell swap. Sexton averaged 20.3 points during the 2019-20 season, then 24.8 points during the 2020-21 season. While he’s coming off a season in which he averaged 14.3 points a game, Sexton was remarkably efficient for the Jazz, shooting 50.6% from the field, 39.3% from three, and 81.9% from the free throw line.
Andre Iguodala Praises James Harden for ‘Leverage’ Play
Harden was praised by ex-Sixer Andre Iguodala on “Gil’s Show” for publically calling out Morey because he believed it was a good way to use his leverage.
Andre Iguodala talks about why James Harden went at 76ers GM Daryl Morey.
“When you go into a contract negotiation, know what your value is and how you can leverage yourself. Know what opportunities you have on the other side, like to your safety net,” Iguodala said. “What is James’ safety net? Daryl Morey has a history with China, where he can say something, and the backlash from what he says, it may not be any because there’s a history there with Morey and China.”
Iguodala then explained why he believed what Harden did was smart on his part.
“It was a great move out of leverage by James, one, because it’s gonna be hard to discipline James, because what did he do wrong? Right? And James will sell some shoes. That’s ultimately why he’s over there,” Iguodala said.
P.J. Tucker Takes James Harden’s Side on the Matter
Following what Harden had said about Morey, P.J. Tucker posted a message on his personal Instagram, indicating that he is on the side of his former MVP teammate. Tucker posted a picture of him and Harden with the caption, “I’m not acrobatic, I’m not flippin’ on my bros,” which was aggregated by Sixers’ Wire’s Ky Carlin on his X account.
PJ Tucker with a message #Sixers
No matter how the Sixers respond to Tucker’s words, the fact remains that they still have Tucker on their books for two more seasons. They may have to decide if it’s worth keeping Tucker around if and when they trade Harden knowing where Tucker’s loyalties lie.