76ers' Joel Embiid: James Harden Hasn't Been a Distraction Amid Trade Rumors

As the uncertainty over James Harden's future with the Philadelphia 76ers stretches into training camp, fans may be comparing the situation to Ben Simmons' 2021 contract dispute— but reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid isn't.

Embiid indicated Harden's trade request has impacted the team less than Simmons', according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps.

"I think this group is a little different than a couple years ago," Embiid said. "[We have] a new coaching staff and everything that's going on. I think, you know, it's been easy [to focus]. I don't think anybody has been distracted."

After Simmons made a trade request during the 2021 offseason, he missed Sixers training camp, preseason and regular season games while holding out for a trade.

After he was absent on media day and missed the first day of camp, Harden arrived at training camp Wednesday.

After picking up his $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season with the expectation he would be traded, Harden's conflict with the Sixers escalated to the point that he said in August he would "never be a part of an organization" that 76ers president Daryl Morey is in, per ESPN.

That incident occurred two days after The Athletic's Sam Amick reported the Sixers had decided to end trade talks, despite Harden still not planning to report to Philadelphia camp.

Despite those reports, Harden arrived at the second day of camp and participated in "virtually" all of practice, per Bontemps. Bontemps added that head coach Nick Nurse expects Harden to attend practice for the rest of the week.

That stands in harsh contrast to where Simmons was at this point in his 2021 contract dispute. By the start of training camp, he had already spread the news that he intended to never play in another Sixers game.

The 76ers ended up suspending Simmons for one game for being a "distraction" during practice, during which The Athletic's Shams Charania reported he refused to participate in a defensive drill.

Even after his trade to the Brooklyn Nets, the Simmons saga stretched all the way into August 2022 due to conflict over the financial ramifications of his holdout. Given Harden's presence at training camp, the 76ers can hope they won't reach a similar point in their current trade dispute—and that Harden's holdout will continue not to distract the rest of the team.