James Harden no-shows at Sixers practice, reportedly in Houston
OCT. 31 UPDATE: The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly traded James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers early Tuesday morning, according to multiple reports.
The Philadelphia 76ers held practice Wednesday, but they did it without James Harden.
According to Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill and Jake Fischer, Harden was a no-show at practice and is currently in Houston instead of Philadelphia.
Just as he was during the Sixers’ media day, James Harden is in Houston, instead of Philadelphia, for this morning’s team practice, according to league sources. https://t.co/4vSCJEQwjg
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) October 18, 2023
When Joel Embiid was asked about his teammate's absence from practice, he said perhaps Harden "had something to do."
Joel Embiid, who goes on to say team had a good practice, on James Harden’s absence: “Maybe he had something to do” pic.twitter.com/FelUC0oqpf
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) October 18, 2023
Harden has wanted out of Philly since the summer, when he reportedly got frustrated that Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey didn't offer him a max deal quickly enough. We don't know what kind of contract Morey would have offered Harden because Harden picked up his one-year option.
Right after Harden picked up the option, he reportedly demanded a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers. But since Harden was already committed to the Sixers for the 2023-24 season, he had zero leverage. Morey is under no obligation to trade him, and unless Harden wants to hold out (and in the process lose a lot of money and possibly even his free-agent status next year), he can do nothing but wait.
Well, Harden could do one other thing: be loud. During a trip to China in August, Harden told a group of schoolchildren that "Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he's a part of." The NBA fined Harden $100,000 for his comments, the maximum fine it can give.
Harden had been practicing with the Sixers before this week. He showed up to training camp on time and had been doing his work. He said last week that he planned to "work [his] butt off" for the team, but his relationship with Morey couldn't be repaired despite the long history they share, which began when they were both with the Houston Rockets.
Even though Harden wants to leave the Sixers for the Clippers, he may not be going anywhere any time soon. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Sixers and Clippers aren't seeing eye-to-eye on a trade package for Harden, and that there's still a "significant gap" in negotiations.
