While the Sixers may be holding out hope that James Harden will rescind his trade request and return to Philadelphia next season, the former league MVP remains steadfast in his desire to be dealt to the Clippers, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
According to Fischer, Harden and his camp are confident he’ll end up playing for Los Angeles in 2023/24. Sources tell Fischer that the Sixers have discussed Harden trades with teams other than the Clippers, but none of those talks were serious, as rivals are aware of Harden’s “unwavering focus” on joining L.A.
The Sixers haven’t shown any interest in a potential Clippers deal though, and the Clippers aren’t interested in parting with Terance Mann, Fischer writes. Daryl Morey‘s recent comments suggest that the two sides aren’t natural trade partners.
If Harden is still on the roster by media day in early October, the 10-time All-Star is expected to join the Sixers in training camp. That might not be ideal for Philadelphia, however, as Fischer notes that Harden successfully forced his way out of Houston and Brooklyn in recent seasons when he was unhappy without needing to hold out.
Here are more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- In his analysis of Fischer’s story, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com wonders if Morey will eventually cave on his high asking price and accept an offer from the Clippers, as having Harden cause problems — in training camp or during the season — could hurt the Sixers‘ on-court results. The fact that Harden is on an expiring contract and Philadelphia is firmly in win-now mode makes it a complicated situation, because the team can’t afford to punt on a year of Joel Embiid‘s prime, Neubeck adds. That much was clear even before Embiid’s recent comments about wanting to win a championship no matter what team he’s on.
- Talks between the Trail Blazers and Heat on a Damian Lillard trade are “stagnant,” according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. While the two sides have spoken, Charania hears the conversations weren’t serious. Portland has told Miami to make its best offer, Charania writes, but the Heat don’t appear to be in any rush to do so.
- As Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote a couple days ago, there’s no indication that Embiid has any desire to leave the Sixers at this point, and Philadelphia certainly doesn’t want to trade him, to the Knicks or any other team. Ian Begley of SNY.tv reports that when Embiid and Morey met after the comments went viral, both sides envisioned a “Derek Jeter-type trajectory” for Embiid, with the reigning MVP remaining the face of the organization until he retires. In short, don’t expect an Embiid trade anytime soon, says Begley.
This will be a four or five team trade involving Lillard and James Harden. That’s why this is taking so long. The big contracts and moving parts prevent it from being completed in just a couple of weeks.
But I’m sure you’ll see Lillard in Miami, Harden in Los Angeles, and three other teams helping out facilitate the transaction.
Always among the most reasoned and articulate takes on possibilities.
Lillard to Miami
Herro & D. Robinson to Philly
Harden & Korkmaz to Clippers
Mann & assorted Clippers expirings to Portland
All available firsts & swaps from Miami & Clippers to Portland
You heard it here first
Philly says no thank you…you heard it hear first lol
I think this trade is a huge win for PHI, you’re not getting a better player than Hero for Harden
You sure about that? Adding herro and Robinson eats all the cap space they would have next year with Harris and harden off the books. So that means you are committing to your core of Embiid, maxey, and herro for the rest of embiids prime…that doesn’t seem like a championship trio. It would be a huge step back for the Sixers long term. They would be better off punting the season and getting a legit star next offseason.
No great free agent is rushing to play with Joel
Lol, just stop. What is this based on exactly? Jimmy butler and James harden wanted to play with Joel. Jimmy would have stayed if they got rid of Simmons and brown. He’s the reigning mvp and a top 10 player in the league. Just a nonsense take
Bwaaaaaaa
The win for philly would be letting Harris and harden come off the books for next year then acquiring a high end player with all the free cap space, then extending maxey. Herro and robinson do not help clear the books. Harden is not getting traded for middle tier players on long term deals it makes no sense if your goal is higher than just losing in first round
I can’t imagine MIA deals Herro to Philly.
Nice for MIA. Get DL plus off Robinson’s contract, all for just Herro and FRPs in 2028 and 2030. They even save on the luxury tax. If you were working for MIA and could make this happen, Riley would owe you a raise. Hard to imagine any of the other 3 teams being interested.
POR gets just Mann, MIA’s 2 FRPs and an LAC 2030 FRP plus filler. It’s quite light, to say the least.
LAC indicated they wouldn’t give up either Mann or their 2030 FRP in a Harden deal. You have them giving up both, and taking Korkmaz.
PHI seems to make out, getting Herro for Harden, but Herro really isn’t a fit with Maxey, and, more importantly, adding Robinson’s contract to Herro’s eviserates their pile of projected cap space next summer.
As a Philly fan I accept your offer
Clippers: “Hello Daryl. We would like James Harden. What do we have to offer? Oh, nothing!”
“Talks between the Trail Blazers and Heat on a Damian Lillard trade are “stagnant,”…
Sounds like yesterday. And the day before that. And the day before that. In other words, “Nothing new here, people!”
I hope my Sixers are the team that does this in the NBA finally, but I want a team to finally stand up against one of these a****** players that pulled this b******* all the time and sit there and tell him no you signed a contract you’re playing it out if not your career is done because until he plays that last year in Philly he can’t play anywhere else his career is over and it would make no more money! I don’t care I’d rather my sex with a team to take this dance and just say f*** it and start a trend of NBA teams saying you know what no we’re not playing these games you signed a contract you’re going to honor it
I really hope any player in the NBA does this but I want someone to standup to one of these a****** owners when they pull their B.S. and trade a player without notice. They should just look them in the face and tell them “No, I’m not uprooting my family and playing for another team. I signed a contract to play for this team. I’ll just play half assed that way no team will trade for me and I’ll still get paid, you’re choice bro.”
The contract they signed includes the possibility of being traded. It’s not the same thing no matter how much people try to make this silly point. If you don’t want to get traded, don’t sign the contract allowing you to do so.
Or add a no trade clause
Neither Harden or Lillard were eligible for a no trade clause. Lillard’s never been a free agent and Harden hasn’t played four consecutive seasons with the 76ers.
Only 10 players in the history of the NBA have ever had a no trade clause. Most players are not eligible to ever have that included in their contract as it can’t be an extension and has to have more than 4 years with the same team. This isn’t MLB.
Nowhere in the their contract does it say a player can’t ask for a trade. You can’t control human nature now matter how much silly people try. If you don’t want a player asking to be traded then don’t sign the contract with any players in the first place.
The point is players have asked to be traded well before Harden and Lillard. Chamberlain and Jabbar come to mind as historic examples. It happens, it’s part of the game and in the modern game the media blows it way out of proportion
Is it written somewhere in the contract that they can demand a trade to a specific team?
Yeah, I have no idea when the NBA became an equal and fair partnership between the owners and the players ….
Apparently I missed the memo, because quite a few people try to act like that’s the case…
The players work for the owners…END OF STORY…
Awww you have to move?? Well, that’s just one of the reasons why you are compensated for your work more than most people.
James Harden in particular has made an absolute joke out of the NBA in the last few seasons, yet somehow he will still get his way again…lol It is absolutely crazy…
I’d be danged if I was an owner, and I just gave someone a huge deal, and then they told me not only did they want to be traded, but demanded that I trade them to Team X…Anyone does that in a normal employee-employer relationship, and you are either out of a job, or you’re getting laughed at and having the door slammed in your face…lol
Pro sports isn’t a normal employer-employee relationship.
Don’t compare it to working at 7-11
Were you not paying attention last year? They did that to Simmons all summer and up to the trade deadline. How did that work out exactly? Also, good luck signing any free agents if that’s how you treat players. The player you make an example of, his agent will lose your number. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. If players can’t demand trades than teams shouldn’t be able to trade players. They signed a contract to play for a specific team but can get dealt at any time. Why is it acceptable for the team to not honor the contract but the player must fall in line.
I agree with your points. Everyone in the league has got to know by now that Philly is not a top FA destination.
Name me the last player who did not accept a free agent offer from a team because that team did not trade a previous star wherre he wanted to be traded. Agents don’t lose teams numbers and very few stars actually move via free agency. Your comment is a myth
umm, straw man, err, um..yeah.
Just curious, who was the last big FA that the Sixers signed?
I challenge you to do the same. When has a team traded a star somewhere they didn’t want to go? Give me one example of someone asking out and being traded to a team they didn’t want to play for…I’ll wait. It doesn’t happen because it’s bad business. It’s not a myth, it’s common business sense. Players are people, not some commodity. Agents definitely steer their players to and from teams. Happens all the time. Players talk and share experiences about places. Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant x2, lebron James x3, and kawhi Leonard are a few recent examples of stars changing teams via free agency.
Um…Didnt they try that with Ben Simmons and then they traded for another guy who holds out more than Simmons.
At some point do Free Agents start to notice that everyone wants out of Philly and the Sixers will sit for some magical deal that nobody in the league will ever offer?
I have got to believe that FAs understand that Philly is not a prime location to consider.
Free agents have never liked Philly.
Terrence Mann is untouchable
This has got to end.
I appreciate in Philly’s case that this is bigger than Harden, it’s about being competitive enough to keep Embiid long term. Harden May also have no choice but to repair/report based on age, declining skills, inability to win in the playoffs, and mostly for already asking out of two other situations before this one.
For Portland though, they’re rebuilding and ping pong balls mean something to them. If they can’t get the deal they want for Dame and he doesn’t report, let him sit out. Heck, don’t deal him for the full length of his contract and let him become a 37 year FA who hasn’t played in three years. Really, they’re better off being bad for the next 2-3 years while paying Dame to sit out than bringing in other long term contracts like Tyler Herro who would make the Blazers just good enough to not suck, but not good enough to make the playoffs.
Harden: I want to be traded for the eighteenth time in three years. And only traded to the Clippers.
Philly: No
done
If the sixers want to win, their best bet is to unload harden. Harden is the worst team player. He holds on to the ball too long, he shoots at every opportunity, he is not a team player, it’s all about him, he doesn’t hustle, he plays zero defense and he shows he has no initiative when he is not the main star. Philly should never have traded for him. Wrong player and attitude.