- James Harden has no leverage in ongoing trade saga
- 76ers are in full control heading into the 2023-24 season
- Harden’s career is on the line with free agency looming
Philadelphia star James Harden is trying with everything he has to force a trade from the 76ers, but he may have no choice but to show up and play for them this upcoming season. As ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins put it on NBA Today, Harden has nothing going for him in this ongoing fight.
“James Harden don’t have a pot to pee in or a window to throw it out of in this fight. And when I say that, it’s because his career is on the line right now. This is not the James Harden of Houston. Right now, Philly is in control and if James Harden wants his career to keep going than he will have to show up and do his job with the right mindset.”
When Harden was kept in the dark during free agency, he pulled the rug from under the 76ers by opting into his player option before demanding a trade. Initially, Harden hoped that the prospect of losing him next summer in free agency would be enough to get Daryl Morey to cave.
Unfortunately for James, however, his trade value isn’t nearly as high as it once was and teams are no longer interested in paying the acquisition price.
“With everything going on with the new CBA and the fines he could get, James Harden has no leverage in this,” said Perk.
.@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
Harden, a 10x All-Star, played well for the 76ers last season with averages of 21 points, 10.7 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game on 44.1% shooting. He helped the Sixers secure a top-three seed in the East before flaming out in epic fashion against the Boston Celtics in the Conference Semi-Finals.
But James is on his third trade request now in just three seasons, and there are some major concerns about his future, given how inconsistent he was throughout the postseason.
Will Harden Get Traded Before The Deadline?
It’s hard to come back from all that’s transpired this summer. For Harden, that includes some pretty wild stuff like calling Morey a liar, sending cryptic messages on social media, and talking to opposing team’s stars behind the scenes.
Even so, there aren’t many teams willing to make an offer for the former MVP right now. Since limiting his list of preferred landing spots to just a single team (the Clippers), trade talks have been at a complete deadlock.
As hinted at already, things may have to get ugly before they get better for the 76ers. If the star point guard is still on the roster come October, we could see Harden start to stir up some real trouble in a last-ditch effort to get moved.
How it ends will depend entirely on Daryl Morey, who already has experience handling trade requests from disgruntled stars.
Harden Has No Leverage Against 76ers
By opting into his player option, Harden was trying to get the upper hand against Morey, but he may have screwed himself in the process. Set to make over $35 million for this season alone, Harden’s contract is borderline untradeable when you consider he’s no longer the superstar player he once was.
Statistically, aside from assists, Harden’s numbers are down across the board from his glory days in Houston. The worst of all is his track record in the playoffs, which can only be described as spotty at best.
In Game 1 against the Celtics last year, James dropped 49 points on even three-pointers before following it up with 16 points on 3-14 shooting in Game 3. That’s been a common theme throughout his career.
At this point, the best way for Harden to get what he wants would be to break that cycle and finally deliver when it counts the most.
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