Between August and October 2023, there wasn’t much traction with the impending James Harden trade. Teams involved in trade talks haven’t shown much interest or effort just yet. Unfortunately, we may not even see a trade happen until later this season either. But on the bright side, this situation hasn’t affected the Philadelphia 76ers as much considering how they nearly won against title favorites recently.
But the looming trade has only created a lot of tension among fans and experts of the league. The 10x All-Star requested a trade shortly after the 2022-23 season concluded because of a botched backdoor deal. Harden went on to slam general manager Daryl Morey and called him a “liar” in front of his fans while touring China. Morey had taken a step back from the trade claiming he wanted to wait for the right deal.
James Harden returned to Philly last night “with his bags packed to join team on the road,” but the Sixers have now asked him not to travel with the team, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/tkwosBrRjr
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 25, 2023
It turns out, Morey still wants to wait and see if better deals come by. Meanwhile, James Harden has not been actively participating with the Sixers. Unfortunately, he had to step away to tend to his ill mother for a bit. Even though he was ready to come back, the Sixers stopped him from flying out to Milwaukee for their opening game against the Bucks. There is no news regarding his return as of now.
The Clippers have put James Harden on hold while Daryl Morey waits for the perfect deal
Recently, Daryl Morey was caught liking a tweet on X that stated the Sixers should wait rather than push for a trade immediately. NBA reporter Kevin O’Connor said, “The Sixers look really, really good. And especially for that reason, they should be patient in finding the proper return for James Harden. They can’t settle when the right package could put them back in the title convo.” This was the comment Morey liked.
Daryl Morey recently liked this tweet from Kevin O’Connor suggesting that the Sixers should take their time in finding the right trade package for James Harden 👀 pic.twitter.com/jAGfmpsMU7
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 27, 2023
Amidst all of this, the LA Clippers have also taken a step back from trade talks. LA was James Harden’s preferred trade destination. They’ve been the only team actively engaging with the Sixers to acquire Harden. Insider Adrian Wojnarowski claimed that the Clippers want to focus on the season are both their stars are healthy and ready to participate.
However, this doesn’t put an end to the possibility of James Harden getting shipped to the Clippers. The former League MVP is determined to leave and he claims his decision cannot be changed. Wojnarowski also believes the Sixers should take sometime to ponder on the offers they’ve received from the Clippers. A trade is more likely to happen at the deadline early next year.