NBA Rumors: James Harden Traveling Alone to Enjoy Miami Nightlife Upset Some 76ers

James Harden's decision to travel separate from the Philadelphia 76ers during a late-season game didn't sit well with some members of the organization.

Per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, Harden, with permission from the front office, took his own flight to Miami "to enjoy the nightlife" in the city before a March 1 game against the Heat.

Shelburne noted this isn't an uncommon practice in the NBA, but she added that it "didn't sit well" with then-head coach Doc Rivers and several players on the Sixers.

Harden is a player who is accustomed to getting what he wants. ESPN's Tim MacMahon wrote a story in December 2020, when Harden was still a member of the Houston Rockets, about how the organization acquiesced to accommodate him:

"Harden has pushed the Rockets to upgrade every offseason, saying he would want to be traded if they couldn't contend, sources said. And he had final say on things beyond just travel and practice schedules as well. He could call the shots on personnel moves, both on the roster and the coaching staff, a power he flexed to push for the firing of head coach Kevin McHale and departures of co-stars Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, sources said."

But the power Harden achieved with the Rockets came a time when he was a superstar and a regular MVP contender.

The version of Harden that has spent the past 1.5 seasons in Philadelphia isn't at that level anymore. He's still a very good player who led the league in assists last season (10.7 per game), but his skill set has been in decline now that he's in his mid-30s.

The Sixers handily beat Miami, 119-96, in the game on March 1 without Joel Embiid. Harden finished with 23 points on 6-of-15 shooting, seven rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes.

Even though the vibes seemed like they would be good after a blowout win on the road, Shelburne noted Rivers brought up Harden traveling separate from the team and some of the players who voiced their concerns about it a few days later.

"The whole episode was 'uncomfortable,' one team source said. Even if they agreed with the substance of Rivers' message to Harden, and the idea of holding him accountable, it was awkward for the players who were named," Shelburne wrote.

Even though this would seem to be more of an indictment of Rivers for specifically mentioning players who express concern, Harden has a history of alienating himself from teams.

In addition to the Rockets, Jake Fischer reported in a February 2022 story for B/R that Harden alienated members of the Brooklyn Nets the previous month by leaving the team after a win over the San Antonio Spurs for "a night of clubbing" in Houston and sat out a game against the Denver Nuggets when they were also without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Fischer wrote, "It raised eyebrows across the franchise—Durant included—about Harden's wavering loyalty, sources said."

Harden is currently embroiled in a standoff with the 76ers and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. The 10-time All-Star opted in to his $35.6 million salary before the start of free agency in order to work with the team on finding a trade.

After the Sixers ended trade talks for Harden with the intention of bringing him to training camp, he responded by calling Morey a "liar" and he "will never be a part of an organization that (Morey)'s a part of."

The NBA fined Harden $100,000 for indicating he wouldn't "perform the services called for under his player contract unless traded to another team."

Philadelphia is heading into a crucial season after losing in the second round of the playoffs in each of the past three years. Nick Nurse is taking over for Rivers as head coach. Joel Embiid won NBA MVP last season, but he struggled in the postseason with 23.7 points on 43.1 percent shooting in nine games.

Harden is the second-best player on the 76ers right now, but if he decides not to play for the team under any circumstances, Morey and the front office are in a difficult spot trying to build a title contender around Embiid.