James Harden Trade Rumors: 76ers, Clippers Expected to Reengage Before Season Begins

All may be quiet on the James Harden trade front at the moment, but it isn't expected to stay that way.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Tuesday that the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers are expected to reengage on a potential trade before the start of the regular season.

Harden asked to be traded in June after picking up his $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season.

The trade request is Harden's third in as many years. He forced his way out of Houston to Brooklyn during the 2020-21 season, exited Brooklyn for Philadelphia a year later and has now become disgruntled with the Sixers over their lack of urgency to sign him to a long-term contract.

The 2018 NBA MVP averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists last season. While Harden remains one of the league's best primary ball-handlers, he failed to make an All-Star team for the first time since 2012 and saw his scoring average drop for the fourth straight year.

Couple that with Harden's historic unreliability in the playoffs—he finished the Sixers' second-round collapse against the Boston Celtics with a combined 22 points on 7-of-27 shooting in Games 6 and 7—it's easy to see why the Sixers are hesitant to lavish a declining 33-year-old with $200 million.

It's equally understandable why Harden might be disenchanted with the Sixers after he took a $14.3 million pay cut last season to facilitate the signings of P.J. Tucker and Danuel House. The expected quid pro quo was so obvious the NBA stripped the Sixers of 2023 and 2024 second-round picks for tampering.

In the end, the quid was not pro quo'd by the Sixers. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey instead prioritized the team's long-term financial flexibility over loyalty to Harden, alienating him in the process.

While it was likely the smart long-term decision, it's left Morey with quite the quandary on his hands. The Sixers have no avenue of competing next season without Harden. The Clippers are not going to offer anything of substantial value for Harden, who they understandably see as a distressed asset and potential flight risk.

With Joel Embiid turning 30 in March and having a litany of injury issues during his career, the Sixers don't exactly have time to waste. Embiid has also been increasingly cryptic in his comments about his future with the Sixers, though he's since attributed it to being a "Troel."

In the end, it's hard to find a deal that would make more sense than the Sixers running things back and allowing Harden and Tobias Harris to walk next summer in free agency and reloading with free-agent signings.