Disgruntled Philadelphia 76ers‘ star, James Harden, did not report to the team’s scheduled practice on Wednesday morning and has not been seen with the team since Sunday. The Athletic’s Shams Charania was the first to report the news, and per Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, Harden is currently in Houston, TX, as trade rumors continue to circulate.
It’s been quite a week for the ten-time All-Star. Last week during a press conference, Harden stressed that when he was traded to Philadelphia, he had every intention of retiring as a Sixer. But he added that the front office – in reality, meaning Daryl Morey – didn’t have that in their plans. Harden added he felt betrayed and that the relationship was “beyond repair” now that he’d lost trust in his one-time biggest supporter.
Meanwhile, the front office continues to work to find a suitable trade for Harden, particularly with the Los Angeles Clippers. But with the Clippers’ showing little desire to give up anything substantial for him – it’s been widely reported even Terrance Mann is “off the table” – that’s going to continue to be a substantial challenge.
Harden did note that he plans to play for the Sixers until his trade comes through, so it didn’t appear as if Sixers fans were in for a repeat of the Ben Simmons holdout. But with Wednesday’s no-show, along with not appearing in any preseason games thus far (he wasn’t even introduced in the matchup against the Nets), it seems like the team will get the absolute bare minimum out of James Harden at best.
While he’ll likely be on the starting roster for the start of the season next week, it remains to be seen if he will even show up, let alone give his best effort on the court. Regardless, it’s clear that the Harden-Morey feud will continue to have a major impact on the team as the regular season gets underway.
