Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden is attempting to return to the team after being away for the past two weeks as trade talks continue surrounding the former NBA MVP.
Harden’s impending return comes on the eve of Philadelphia opening its season against the Milwaukee Bucks Thursday evening.
Since Harden requested a trade early in the summer, reports have indicated that he prefers to land with the Los Angeles Clippers out west. In fact, he’s made this known behind the scenes.
Nothing has happened on that end, primarily because of Philadelphia’s asking price for the veteran guard and Los Angeles’ unwillingness to meet it.
We now have more information on this courtesy of ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, who dropped a bomb Wednesday evening. According to Woj, the Clippers are taking a step back from trade talks as they, too, prepare for their season opener.
“At least for the foreseeable future, the Clippers are stepping back from these trade talks about Harden. They are essentially pausing them. They have talked with Philadelphia for months about a trade. They have made their best offer.”
Report on James Harden trade talks
There is a lot to look at here. From the Clippers’ perspective, it makes absolutely no sense to bid against themselves for Harden. At this point, no other team is in on the disgruntled guard.
Previous reports suggested that Philadelphia was demanding multiple first-round picks and young guard Terance Mann. The Clippers have responded with a first-round pick and expiring contracts. No traction has been gained in the months since negotiations started.
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This is all complicated by Harden’s off-season comments directed at Philadelphia front office head Daryl Morey.
“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of. Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden said back in August.
The NBA actually fined Harden $100,000 for these comments. But he has not backed down since with similar comments about Morey.
This is the long-form way of saying things won’t be settled between Harden and Philadelphia. With the Clippers now backing out of trade talks and no other team currently engaged, the situation promises to become even more drama-filled as Philadelphia opens its season here soon.
