The Philadelphia 76ers are still dealing with the James Harden saga, as the Los Angeles Clippers have pulled out of trade talks with the team, and as a result, the future looks bleak for the team and the one-time NBA MVP.
Along with the trade talks with the Clippers falling apart, Harden has been away from the team tending to his ill mother, which appears to be a situation getting investigated by the league.
However, Harden recently returned to the team ahead of the 76ers’ season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, but the team’s brass told him to stay put in Philadelphia and not travel with the team for their two-game road trip to start the season.
The league doesn’t seem to be taking this situation lightly, especially with all that happened during the summer, and are looking into what’s going on with Harden and the team, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
ESPN asked the NBA about James Harden and new Player Participation policy. League is investigating. NBA spokesman Mike Bass: "We're looking into the facts around James Harden's availability tonight to determine whether an approved reason exists for his lack of participation."
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 26, 2023
The more time passes without a trade, the worse this situation is getting for Harden and the storied franchise.
Much like with Damian Lillard wanting to be traded to the Miami Heat over the summer, which never came to fruition, it seemed as if all signs were pointing to the Clippers and 76ers working out a deal so Harden could play for his hometown team.
At this point, that doesn’t seem like it is going to happen either; with the Clippers not liking the trade package they’d have to send to Philadelphia to bring in Harden.
Needless to say, this continues to be a mess with no end in sight.
NEXT: NBA Legend Breaks Down The James Harden, 76ers Situation
