James Harden wants a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers after just 79 games with the franchise. Only, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey isn’t interested in trading the ten-time All-Star, and certainly not for a diminished trade return.
Specifically, Harden would like to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, but previous have indicated the 76ers have set an “extremely high asking price.” Others have suggested the Sixers are angling for the Clippers to include promising guard Terance Mann in any Harden trade package, but a new report from Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports indicates that may not be the case.
Instead, Goodwill’s sources say the 76ers actually prefer an offer centered around multiple future first-round picks. Yet, for the Clippers, it’s not as simple as offering a few more draft selections to their existing offer.
The Clippers are still paying for the Paul George trade with their first-round picks due to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the next three years (2025 is a pick swap). However, the Clippers do still have their own first-round selections from 2027-2030 to offer, but those won’t help the 76ers win more games next season.
Still, there’s no telling what the future holds for the Sixers, especially if Harden is traded for a package centered around draft picks that are still years away. It’s possible that loading up on future assets pays off in the long run, whether it’s an effort to rebuild around Embiid or even hit the reset button altogether with the reigning MVP bringing in a bigger trade return if the situation spirals out of control.
For now, the 76ers expect Harden to report to training camp, but the soon-to-be 34-year-old has no intention of being a part of a Morey-led organization. This has now led to the NBA conducting an investigation into Harden’s recent comments about the leader of the 76ers’ front office in what’s been a summer full of drama for the 76ers organization.
Related: NBA MVP race 2023-24: Is James Harden still a candidate?