James Harden ‘Reiterated’ Trade Request; PHI in ‘No Hurry’ for Deal

It appears James Harden has no intention of remaining in Philadelphia.

Harden reiterated to the Philadelphia 76ers and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey that he would like to be traded this summer after opting into his $35.6 million player option for 2023-24, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported Tuesday on NBA Today:

“They’ve spoken again, and he still reiterated that he wants to be traded. Now this is not a demand. It’s a request. And I think that the Sixers have said ‘OK, we will try to trade you,’ but there is no hurry to do this. And I think the Sixers understand here that they have the leverage here. I mean James has picked up his option, this is an opt-in to his contract, and he’s going to be a free agent after this season. So at some point, he needs to play, whether that is in Philadelphia or elsewhere.

“Plus, there is a sense that if they can give it some time and he’s cool with his teammates—he’s been talking to Joel Embiid, he’s been talking to Patrick Beverley, P.J. Tucker—that eventually, maybe these fences can be mended and there is a path to reconciliation with James Harden. But for now, he has reiterated his trade request.”

Harden picked up his player option last month and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported at the time that he and the Sixers were working on finding a trade partner.

While Harden’s preference is to be moved, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said Tuesday on the Dan Patrick Show that the current “signals” are that the 10-time All-Star will be back in Philadelphia next season.

With the 76ers reportedly in no rush to move Harden, it’s possible he could be traded closer to the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign or even closer to the midseason trade deadline.

However, Wojnarowski reported July 4 that the 76ers “would still love to keep” Harden next season. Additionally, players like Joel Embiid and Patrick Beverley are hoping the three-time scoring champion will change his mind and remain in Philly to help the franchise in its pursuit of an NBA title.

“I want him to come back, obviously, so we can accomplish what we want, which is a championship,” Embiid told Showtime’s Rachel Nichols. “Hopefully his mindset can be changed. Other than that, I’m just so happy to be his friend. We close and we’ve grown since he got here and, you know, that’s what I’m excited about and I’m excited to keep that friendship for the rest of our lives.”

Beverley, who signed a one-year deal with the 76ers in free agency, told reporters Monday that part of his decision to sign with the Sixers had to do with the fact that Harden was a member of the franchise.

“Hell yeah you want him here. Hell yeah you want him in the locker room. Hell yeah you want him first day of practice. One of my decisions coming here was because James Harden was here. So I hope he stays. Hope that everybody can kind of work something out and put that behind us and kind of move…