James Harden Trade Rumors: 76ers 'Remain Resistant' to Deal, Team 'Fully Aligned'

The Philadelphia 76ers haven't diverged from their general approach to James Harden's trade request despite the star guard escalating his standoff with the team.

"The Sixers, league sources say, remain resistant to trading Harden unless the deal maintains or enhances the team's ability to win Philadelphia's first championship since 1983," NBA insider Marc Stein reported Friday. "Sixers ownership and the front office have been described as 'fully aligned' on that stance."

Stein questioned whether another team will step up to the plate and table that kind of offer when Harden is ineligible to immediately sign an extension with anybody who acquires him.

Through the absence of a trade to this point, Philadelphia has signaled all offseason it's willing to move forward with the 33-year-old on the roster despite how uncomfortable things might get. The organization is ultimately betting the incentive for him to show out and have a big year outweighs his desire to force his way out by any means necessary.

Harden is putting that theory to the test by calling Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey a "liar" and effectively saying he won't play for the team.

Based on a report from ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, this may not be an isolated incident.

As Stein's report laid out, Harden's efforts haven't changed much yet.

Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported a similar narrative Monday. He wrote the Sixers "are unmoved by Harden's statement and they still expect him to report to training camp.

Pompey added that Morey "was not surprised by Harden's commentary and his attempt to make things personal given his agent's reaction this past weekend to being informed that the Sixers weren't able to find a suitable deal."

Harden successfully sulked his way off the Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets, but those situations are much different that what he's facing in Philadelphia.

Houston saw the writing on the wall, and dealing the 2017-18 MVP brought the organization the kind of draft capital that can aid in a rebuild. The Nets, meanwhile, could convince themselves at the time that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving enough to contend for a title, and there was still some reason to hope that Ben Simmons could be a valuable long-term asset.

The Sixers have all of their eggs in the Harden basket. They can't afford to take a step backward, which is what would inevitably happen when they receive a collective haul that's worse than Harden alone.

At the end of the day, Philadelphia is betting he'll show up because he doesn't have much alternative. And once he reports to camp, he can't exactly stage an open mutiny without potentially running afoul of the Uniform Player Contract.

Without a trade eventually materializing, Harden might be embarking on a futile pursuit by telling anyone who will listen how little he wants to suit up for the Sixers.