James Harden Rumors: SG Hasn't Been in 76ers Camp Since Sunday amid Trade Request

The James Harden saga continues with the 2023-24 season approaching, and he reportedly was not with the team on Wednesday.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Harden did not show up for the Philadelphia 76ers' practice and "has not been present with the team since Sunday."

During an appearance on the #thisleague Uncut (9:40 mark) podcast, BR's Chris Haynes reported Harden has not been scrimmaging with the team and has done some individual work. Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported Harden was actually in Houston and not Philadelphia on Wednesday.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne provided more context to the entire situation:

Shelburne also reported that a source said "this is only the beginning of what he plans to do here" when discussing the guard:

Philadelphia and Harden are running out of time to resolve the situation.

The season opener is in approximately one week on Oct. 26 against the Milwaukee Bucks. If Harden is part of the roster and on the floor, the 76ers are contenders in an Eastern Conference that is relatively wide open outside of the Bucks and Boston Celtics.

If he isn't, it is difficult to envision Philadelphia competing for the top spots in the East even with Joel Embiid anchoring the attack down low.

This all comes after Charania reported on Tuesday that the 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers "remain engaged" in talks all while the guard has not attended any of his team's preseason games and skipped a shootaround.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski noted there is still "a sizable gap" between Philadelphia and Los Angeles when it comes to those negotiations with "little movement for months on a deal."

Philadelphia doesn't exactly have much leverage with it perfectly clear that Harden wants to play elsewhere. The Clippers are potential title contenders with or without the 34-year-old and don't appear to be bidding against other teams in the sweepstakes, so there isn't as much incentive for them to dramatically increase their offer.

For now, the focus is on why Harden has been away from the team as the negotiations remain ongoing.

If his absence continues, it will only add another layer to the situation.