With the NBA preseason already beginning, members of the basketball community are still wondering if James Harden will be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers by the Philadelphia 76ers. This NBA offseason has been filled with trade rumors and discussions. Harden has been one of the few players at the eye of the storm after he made it clear that he no longer wanted to be associated with Daryl Morey, and the Philadelphia 76ers by extension.
Although it was initially reported that the 76ers were willing to cater to the demands of the 10x NBA all-star, reports soon emerged that they had shut down all trade discussions involving the 76ers star. Fans soon found out that James softened up on his stance and announced that he would attend the 76ers’ training camp prior to the start of the season.
All of this certainly has the potential to confuse NBA fans on whether Harden will be traded to another team or not. With that being said, let us take a better look at this entire situation and find out more.
Why does James Harden want to leave the Philadelphia 76ers?
Upon finding out that Harden had demanded a trade once again, many fans were confused as to what prompted this decision. Despite the fact that there was no official statement from the 76ers star on his reasoning, many members of the media deduced that this was due to the 76ers’ reneging on a maximum contract promise that they made to him in the past.
That would certainly sync with his leveling accusations of lying and being unethical against Daryl Morey and the rest of the 76ers’ management. However, fans can understand why the 76ers didn’t follow through with the “promise” that they made to him.
James’ play didn’t live up to the expectations that the 76ers had for him and the team has been unable to make it past the second round of the playoffs despite having him on the roster. Therefore, they likely felt that offering him a lot of money over surrounding Embiid with younger talent was a bad move to make.
At the moment, we have no reason to believe that Harden will be traded. However, if the 76ers don’t get off to a good start due to the lack of chemistry that this trade demand has created, they might just move Harden to another team in order to salvage their season.
Teams that feel they are a piece away from contending for an NBA title might make an offer to the 76ers before the trade deadline. Although James is a member of the Philadelphia 76ers at the moment, the majority of the basketball community doesn’t see him staying on the team for this entire season.
