Sixers are hoping to convince James Harden to stay

Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Sixers still hoping to sway James Harden into returning to Philadelphia

By Vinny Somma | Last updated 7/4/23

Despite James Harden requesting a trade out of Philadelphia, the 76ers aren't ready to close the door on their relationship with the former league MVP.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on SportsCenter that the Sixers "would still love to keep [Harden] in Philadelphia for the season," via Evan Sidery of Forbes Sports. While the team is actively holding trade talks surrounding Harden, Wojnarowski notes that Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is hopeful he can "convince" Harden to stay put for the upcoming season.

Morey and Harden's relationship date back to their days in Houston, where the two spent eight seasons together, advancing to the Western Conference finals twice. Despite their history, Morey's desire to retain Harden appears to be wishful thinking.

Amick says Morey & Harden are "not attached at the hip anymore, James is very unhappy..." because of the "radio silence" Harden got from Sixers on his FA. Says Harden's camp "read the room" and understood there was no "quid pro quo" coming from last summer's paycut, so opted in pic.twitter.com/Wfqpr3sDgB
— DaveEarly (@DavidEarly) July 3, 2023

Sources close to Harden informed Sam Amick of The Athletic that the veteran guard is “extremely upset at the way in which the Sixers handled his possible free agency and has made his dissatisfaction clear to the organization.”

Still, mending things with Harden makes sense for the Sixers. While his scoring production over his Sixers tenure (21.0 ppg) pales in comparison to his numbers with the Rockets (29.6 ppg), Harden offers more on-court upside for Philadelphia than he presents the likelihood of a positive trade return at his age (turns 34 in August) and salary ($35.6M).

While questions about whether Harden is the ideal running mate for franchise cornerstone Joel Embiid are warranted, the Sixers finished the 2022-23 season as the No. 3 seed in the East. With Harden, the team remains a title contender looking ahead to next season. Without Harden, the Sixers could easily find themselves taking a step back in 2023-24. Less than ideal when doubts about Embiid's long-term tenure in Philadelphia are already churning.

Joel Embiid has been mentioned around league circles as New York’s ideal trade candidate if he ever demands out, per @SBondyNYDN

“If Harden is out, what does that mean for the Sixers’ contending timeline and Joel Embiid, in particular? Embiid, the league’s reigning MVP, has… pic.twitter.com/P1GKT4uOmz
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 30, 2023