James Harden would reportedly welcome a trade to Philadelphia.
When Daryl Morey first arrived in Philadelphia, rumors promptly popped up in regards to James Harden potentially joining him in the near future. The two had formed a close bond off the court in Houston, and Morey’s infatuation with Harden as a player has long been prevalent.
Harden’s frustration with the new-look Houston front office only added fuel to the fire, as it felt like a move away from the Rockets was imminent. Both the Nets and the Sixers were tossed out as potential landing spots, however, nothing ever came of it due to Houston’s high asking price (at least one young star and multiple first-round draft picks).
However, with Harden still not reporting to training camp, and the relationship between himself and the Rockets’ ownership continuing to deteriorate, the potential for a trade out of Houston once again seems possible.
According to Tim McMahon and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com, James Harden “would be open to a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers or possibly other contenders”, and he’s reportedly conveyed this message to the Houston Rockets.
Harden still wanting out of Houston should come as little surprise, as the future of the franchise still appears to be headed in the wrong direction. They haven’t made any major moves in free agency outside of swapping bad contracts in Russell Westbrook for John Wall and signing Christian Wood, and they’re likely farther away from being a contender than they have been over the last couple of seasons. Harden obviously wants to push for a title now, and getting onto a team like the Sixers or the Nets would be his best bet.
With that said, this new report changes nothing if Houston hasn’t lowered their asking price. Daryl Morey has remained insistent that he wants to keep Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons together, and he just constructed an entire roster around playing to their strengths. It seems wildly unlikely that Morey would bail on that vision just a few weeks before the regular season begins.
Harden voicing his frustration might cause his price to naturally lower as time progresses, especially considering the fact that he isn’t at training camp. For now though, we remain on “standby” when it comes to Harden potentially coming to the east coast.
Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire
