James Harden Misses 76ers Practice for 'Personal Matter' amid NBA Trade Rumors
Superstar guard James Harden missed Philadelphia 76ers practice for a second consecutive day on Thursday.
According to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports, a Sixers spokesman said Harden is away from the team due to a personal matter.
Harden, who was the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason, did not attend practice on Wednesday either, and 76ers head coach Nick Nurse said at the time that he did not receive an explanation for why Harden was absent, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps.
With Harden missing two consecutive practices, Nurse told reporters Thursday that Harden is "unlikely" to play in the Sixers' preseason finale against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
Nurse also commented on Harden's absence, calling it a "day-by-day" situation:
According to Bontemps, Harden had previously said last week that he could potentially make his preseason debut against the Hawks on Friday.
Harden exercised the $35.6 million option in his contract for the 2023-24 season during the offseason with the understanding that the Sixers would facilitate a trade.
No trade came to fruition, however, and Harden has taken it out on 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, calling him a "liar" during an event in August:
Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t Bontemps), Harden has favored a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers, and while the two teams have had discussions recently, there is a "sizable gap" that has to be closed in order to make a deal happen.
While the expectation had been that Harden would play for the 76ers after meeting with the team Sunday, his future is now perhaps murkier than ever.
According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne (h/t Bontemps), as of Wednesday, the 76ers planned to give Harden a chance to explain his absence before deciding whether to discipline him.
With Harden set to miss the entire preseason, it is fair to question if he will be in the lineup when the Sixers begin their regular-season slate against the Milwaukee Bucks next Thursday.
Harden is a 10-time All-Star and was a three-time scoring champion and one-time NBA MVP during his nine seasons with the Houston Rockets.
Houston traded him to the Brooklyn Nets during the 2020-21 season, and after appearing in just 80 games for the Nets in parts of two seasons, he was traded to the Sixers in 2021-22 for Ben Simmons and more.
Harden has been a productive playmaker for the Sixers, averaging an NBA-leading 10.7 assists per game last season, but he has not helped them get over the playoff hump, as they were eliminated in the second round in each of Harden's two postseasons with the team.
Now, if the Sixers can't get Harden on the court or trade him for equal value, it could be tough to go on a deeper run, even with a core of Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris and reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid.
