Where Will the James Harden Saga Go From Here?
After months of speculation and rumors on when the Sixers would trade James Harden, the team came out and said this past week that they would no longer be entertaining trades for Harden.
The Sixers were limited to dealing with the Clippers because of Harden’s demands, but a deal never could be agreed upon.
It seemed things were finally going to move forward, and Harden would have to play out the final season on his contract and make one last run with the Sixers and the team’s new pieces.
However, there was concern among fans everywhere about how Harden would respond to being forced to play out his contract, and we found out how he has chosen to handle the situation.
A viral clip of Harden appeared on social media today, showing him saying, “Daryl Morey is a liar, and I will never play for an organization that he’s a part of”.
Any hope of optimism about him being professional and coming to camp ready to make a final run with Embiid is now entirely out the door.
This really is a nail in the coffin as far as him ever coming back to the team, but if the Sixers couldn’t find a trade for him that is worth their while, then what happens next?
Harden has officially removed any leverage the Sixers may have had because now every team knows that they cannot keep him for this season, and there is no convincing him otherwise. This severely will limit what teams will offer in return, but it is not all bad news for the Sixers. While this clip hurt the organization’s leverage, it also removed any reason for Daryl Morey to limit discussion with just the teams Harden has selected and now opens to discussions to teams all around the league.
There is no reason the Sixers should care where Harden would like to go now that he has made it clear he is willing to sabotage this season. The Sixers will not be getting an All-Star in return for him now, but they could send him to a team and get a much better package than what the Clippers have been offering.
This is a similar stance the Spurs took with Kawhi Leonard, who said he only wanted to be traded to an LA team, and they shipped him to Toronto for the best available package.
It has officially gotten ugly, and at the end of the day, this is just another dysfunctional offseason for the Sixers in the middle of Embiid’s prime, and this really cannot affect this upcoming season. If the Sixers fold this season, there is a real possibility Embiid will be gone next year, so this needs to be resolved as quickly as possible for the best package out there.
Harden is delusional, thinking he is still a max contract player, and no other team will offer him that, but there will be teams willing to take on the diva for one year to see if they can make a run. This feels like we’re in the twilight zone and all dealing with the Simmons saga all over again, but this one cannot drag on for as long as the Simmons deal did.
There is an urgency to get this cancer off the team and move on, ready to make a run with the players who want to be there while they all still do.
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