Tyrese Maxey Praises James Harden's Behavior at 76ers Practice amid Trade Rumors

Even though James Harden has a grudge against Daryl Morey and is still seeking a trade, the 10-time All-Star doesn't appear to be making things uncomfortable for his Philadelphia 76ers teammates.

Appearing on The Old Man and the Three podcast (starts at 2:55 mark), Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey said Harden hasn't made things weird "at all" since he arrived at training camp.

"He was very, like, receptive. He worked hard," Maxey said. "He did all the drills. He was talking to, even, like young guys that he didn't know."

Harden spent the offseason pursuing a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers. He opted in to his $35.6 million salary for the 2023-24 season with the purpose of working with the 76ers to get what he wanted.

After the Sixers reportedly ended trade talks in August and planned to bring Harden to camp, he responded by calling Morey "a liar" and he would "never be a part of an organization that [Morey]'s a part of."

Harden missed the Sixers' media day and the first day of training camp, but he joined the team in Colorado on Oct. 4 and went through practice.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Oct. 2 the 76ers and Clippers engaged in trade talks, but "there's been no traction on a deal."

When Harden's trade request first became public, Morey said the Sixers' approach is to make sure they have the best possible team on the court for this season or at least have the flexibility where they go into next offseason with cap space to potentially add another star-level player alongside Joel Embiid.

The best approach for both the Sixers and Harden is to ride things out, at least to start the season, and see what happens. They need him right now if they hope to compete with the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

Harden needs to play well this season if he hopes to secure another long-term contract for significant money. The 34-year-old averaged 21.0 points and 10.7 assists per game in 58 starts for the 76ers last season.

The Sixers will open the regular season on Oct. 26 against the Milwaukee Bucks.