Philadelphia 76ers superstar James Harden has one team, and only one team, on his trade wish list and it seems he will do whatever he can to make sure he is wearing that jersey next season.
This has been a weird last few months in the relationship between James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers. It wasn’t long ago when it seemed like he might be the missing piece to their championship puzzle. However, things have changed swiftly over the last month.
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since December, it was expected that James Harden would opt out of his contract and test his value in NBA free agency. Instead, he shockingly opted in and asked the 76ers to trade him elsewhere. While the future Hall-of-Famer would surely garner interest from many teams around the league, especially with only a year left on his deal at an affordable rate, it seems he only has eyes for one team.
James Harden has an ‘unwavering focus on the Clippers and the Clippers alone’
It was recently reported that Harden prefers to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers this summer. On Wednesday, Yahoo Sports insider Jake Fischer added to that narrative when he reported “No matter the Sixers’ wishes, Harden still intends to play for the Clippers during the 2023-24 season.” And Fischer claims that has pretty much been his preferred destination for much of the offseason, even when there was still a chance that he could hit free agency.
Sixer general managers Daryl Morey let it be known this week that the team will only make a deal that is highly beneficial to them. However, it seems that if a trade actually does happen, he will be forced to only make one with the Los Angeles Clippers because “rival front offices have been briefed on Harden’s unwavering focus on the Clippers and the Clippers alone.”
Both teams are reportedly in no rush to make a deal — especially since the Clippers don’t intend on sending stars like Paul George or Kawhi Leonard back in a trade — and Fischer reports that a deal could drag on for quite some time. Some might expect that could lead to James Harden sitting out of training camp in October, however, the belief from his camp is that he does intend to report.
But, as Fischer explains, that is all a part of his escape plan because “You can cause far more headaches for the organization you’re trying to leave by showing up, as opposed to staying home.” Get your popcorn ready and strap in because this will be a fascinating situation to watch in the weeks and maybe months ahead.