After star point guards Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday were traded to the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics, respectively, as part of an end-of-the-offseason flurry, it became reasonable to wonder if unhappy 76er James Harden would follow close behind. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey reiterated on Monday, when Harden did not show up to the team’s media day in Camden, N.J., that those moves by Eastern Conference rivals did not affect his plan to wait for a Harden deal he deems suitable. Morey’s comments align with his approach to the Ben Simmons saga two seasons ago, which lingered until a deadline-day blockbuster with the Brooklyn Nets for, coincidentally, Harden.
according to comments on the record from players and coach Nick Nurse along with observations from sources around the team, has been mentally engaged and physically in shape. A report from The Athletic surfaced Thursday evening that the Los Angeles Clippers, Harden’s preferred destination, is revisiting trying to acquire him after talks with the Sixers dissipated in August. Still, some outsiders — especially in a passionate Philly market — remain vocally antsy to quickly cut ties with Harden, to make a trade now (even if it is less-than-satisfactory) to end any potential drama, distraction or irritation. The belief inside the organization, a source recently told The Philadelphia Inquirer, is that such a move would be too reckless to justify. That it would all but guarantee the Sixers would drop to a lower tier — directly countering their goal to compete for contender status every season of Joel Embiid
