James Harden Trade Rumors: 76ers 'Very Skeptical' Clippers Can Meet Demands Soon

The Philadelphia 76ers are asking for a higher price for James Harden than the Los Angeles Clippers can offer, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick.

"The Sixers have been very skeptical of the Clippers' ability to meet their trade threshold anytime soon," Amick wrote Friday.

According to Amick and Shams Charania, the Clippers are attempting to amass more draft capital in order to improve their July offer of "an unprotected first-round pick, a pick swap and matching salaries."

The Sixers believe they could improve on that price if Harden plays, and Harden "remains hopeful" that playing could help eventually send him to the Clippers, per Amick and Charania.

Harden requested a trade from the Sixers in June after exercising his 2023-24 player option.

If Harden sits out the beginning of the season, as looked like a possibility when the star guard missed Sixers media day and the beginning of training camp, he would risk a costly break of his contract, as demonstrated by the millions of dollars in fines racked up by Ben Simmons during his 2021-22 holdout for a trade from the organization.

Even though Harden has publicly discussed his dislike of the Sixers' front office and said in August that he would "never be a part of an organization" that 76ers president Daryl Morey was a part of, he would likely prefer to avoid the holdout route— especially if it gets him where he wants to go. Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported prior to training camp that Harden "still hopes" to be traded to the Clippers.

Even if Harden plays in Philadelphia for the beginning of the season while the Clippers work to beef up their trade offer, however, Harden indicated Friday that there is little chance of him sticking around with the Sixers for the entire season.

When asked if he could repair his relationship with the team, Harden answered, "No," per ESPN's Tim Bontemps.

Harden will now be rooting for the Clippers to improve their offer, while Amick indicated the Sixers will be waiting for another potential trade partner to bring more to the table once the season begins.