James Harden Trade Rumors: Daryl Morey Could 'Convince' Star to Stay with 76ers

The door isn't closed for James Harden to return to the Philadelphia 76ers, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowski (via Evan Sidery of Forbes Sports) reported on SportsCenter that the Sixers "would still love to keep him in Philadelphia for the season." He added that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is hopeful he can "convince" the 10-time All-Star to stick around rather than force a trade elsewhere.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN said something similar during Monday's episode of Get Up.

"They haven't internally ruled this out, that the idea that they could try to mend some fences," he reported.

The idea makes sense in theory.

Harden's decision to pick up his $35.6 million player option and request a trade seems to be a tacit admission his market isn't where he expected it to be. If another team had been willing to put a massive multiyear offer on the table, then he presumably would've taken that instead.

Now that he's on an expiring contract, the 33-year-old has a compelling motivation to perform well. Maybe that means putting aside any lingering frustration with the Sixers temporarily in pursuit of a long-term objective.

However, Harden wasn't afraid to make things untenable when he wanted off the Houston Rockets and then the Brooklyn Nets. Even with his impending free agency hanging over for him in 2024, there would be precedent for him creating a toxic situation for Morey and the front office.

From Philly's perspective, getting Harden back on board might nonetheless be the best outcome. His trade value has fallen to the point where there's almost no realistic path to landing a return that makes the roster stronger or even as good as it was with the 2017-18 MVP.

And if the 76ers take a step backward, then it could carry ramifications on Joel Embiid's tenure in the City of Brotherly Love.

No approach to the Harden situation is without risk, but mending fences might be the least bad resolution.