Report: James Harden 'Extremely Upset' at How 76ers Handled Potential Free Agency

James Harden's surprise decision to pursue a trade this offseason is related to his thoughts about how the Philadelphia 76ers handled his potential free agency.

Per The Athletic's Sam Amick, the 2017-18 NBA MVP was "extremely upset" with the Sixers' handling of the situation and "made his dissatisfaction clear to the organization."

On Thursday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Harden and the 76ers would work together to find a trade after he opted in to his $35.6 million salary for next season.

Amick specifically cited "a series of silent signals" being sent out by the Sixers in recent weeks that upset Harden, including a feeling the team was "forcing" him to test the open market before making an "offer of any kind" when it was assumed he would opt out.

Harden signed a discounted two-year, $68.6 million deal to stay in Philadelphia last summer. The move came after he opted out of his $47.4 million salary in order to give the 76ers cap flexibility to bring in players such as P.J. Tucker and De'Anthony Melton to fill out the roster with the hope of making them a stronger title contender.

According to Amick, there was a "widespread belief" around the NBA that Harden's discount deal last summer was "a classic case of quid pro quo" and the Sixers would reward him with a new contract this offseason.

There have been various conflicting reports since the end of Philadelphia's season about how the front office was approaching potential contract negotiations with Harden.

During a May 25 appearance on Pardon the Interruption (h/t RealGM.com), ESPN's Brian Windhorst said the 76ers "have not shown an appetite to pay Harden the max" and they were not "motivated to pay him that max salary if they don't think anybody else is going to do it."

Earlier this week, Windhorst said on Get Up (starts at 1:00 mark) the Sixers would be willing to give Harden a pay increase at or near the max value, but "the question is years" on the deal.

The full max deal Harden could get from Philadelphia is $210.1 million over four years. If he had opted out and become a free agent, another team would have been able to offer him a max contract of four years and $201.7 million.

Even though the Houston Rockets had long been rumored as a potential landing spot for Harden if he opted out of his deal, Amick noted they decided in recent weeks not to pursue him.

The Phoenix Suns took themselves out of the Harden market when they acquired Bradley Beal in a three-team trade that also involved the Indiana Pacers on June 26.

Wojnarowski cited the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks as teams expected to have interest in acquiring Harden via trade.

In his first full season with the Sixers in 2022-23, Harden led the NBA with 10.7 assists per game and averaged 21.0 points in 58 starts. The 76ers were eliminated from the playoffs with a second-round loss to the Boston Celtics in seven games.