Matt Barnes Issues Major Warning To James Harden Amid 76ers Trade Request

Harden has requested a trade from the Sixers. He has now requested a trade from his last three teams (Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, Sixers). The former MVP was fined $100,000 by the NBA for calling Daryl Morey “a liar” during his Adidas tour in China.

The NBA launched an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Harden’s public admonishment of Morey. As part of the investigation, Harden told NBA investigators he called Morey “a liar” because he wasn’t traded “quickly” after opting into his player option for the 2023-24 season.

In 58 games for the Sixers last season, Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists while shooting 44.1% from the field, 38.5% from beyond the arc and 86.7% from the free-throw line. Philadelphia lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2023 playoffs in seven games.

If Harden isn’t traded before training camp starts and he holds out for more than 30 days, the Sixers can prevent him from entering free agency in the summer of 2024, according to NBA insider Zach Lowe of ESPN. Since Harden is in the final year of his contract, different NBA holdout rules would apply to him if he decided not to report to training camp and play.

The Sixers agreed to search out a trade upon Harden’s request after the future Hall of Famer picked up his $35.6 million player option for next season in June. However, Philadelphia’s asking price for Harden was steep and no teams were willing or able to meet it.