Ever since superstar guard James Harden called out Daryl Morey during an event in China, things have slowed down to a crawl in terms of what the future holds for the one-time NBA MVP and the Philadelphia 76ers.
It seems as though Harden’s controversial comments did nothing to motivate the franchise to move him quicker nor anything to improve the situation in terms of trying to mend the relationship between team and player.
With the start of training camp only a few weeks away, the 76ers and Harden are in the same situation they were when he asked the team to be traded after opting into the last year of his deal with the team.
It has gotten to the point now where ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins believes that Harden will have to show up and play for the team because his leverage is gone, via NBA on ESPN.
.@KendrickPerkins thinks James Harden will have to show up to play for the Sixers. pic.twitter.com/rytnmZOR81
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 5, 2023
Perkins may very well be right on the money in his assessment of Harden’s situation with the 76ers because the team doesn’t have to trade him, nor do they appear to be panicking about doing so.
If Morey has shown anything in the past, it is that he’s extremely patient when it comes to these situations, as he made abundantly clear the last time this happened in Philadelphia with Ben Simmons.
The 76ers may very well wait it out, as they don’t owe Harden anything, especially after he publicly bashed Morey the way he did.
This could be a situation that continues into the 2023-24 NBA season and doesn’t get resolved until the NBA trade deadline in February of next year.
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