The 76ers’ preseason will come and go and James Harden will not have suited up for a single second.
The star guard, in the midst of his latest NBA trade saga, is away from the team for a personal matter a 76ers official said Thursday, and is not expecting him to play his first minutes of the preseason against the Hawks on Friday, according to multiple reports.
Thursday’s act of skipping practice was the latest move made by Harden, who requested a trade during the offseason after feeling slighted by not getting a long-term extension from the team.
“I think the organization has made it clear what’s going on,” coach Nick Nurse said Thursday. “They’re working on stuff, as we say, day by day. We had a really good practice today. Very energetic. The guys that were here, that’s what we’re focused on.”
Harden, the NBA’s 2018 MVP and a three-time scoring leader, reportedly wants to be dealt to the Clippers, though the 76ers have not found a deal to their liking as of yet.
“It’s been ongoing for a long time now — even summer and fall workouts, training camp, etc.,” Nurse said. “So again, I don’t want to keep saying the same thing every day, but I’ve got a job to do with the guys that are here and we just go to work. If that changes, we’ll adjust. That’s what we do.”
Harden reported to camp a day later than his teammates and practiced with them until Wednesday.
His hostile attitude toward the Sixers and GM Daryl Morey — who he called a “liar” over the summer — does not show any signs of defrosting nor is he getting any closer to the court.
He was fined $100,000 by the NBA for his “public trade demands” in August.
If a deal with the Clippers doesn’t materialize, Harden, who opted into the second year of his 76ers deal with $35.64 million, there are plenty of Option Bs for the sides.
One could be the Heat, who missed out on Damian Lillard in the NBA’s other offseason trade drama and were “expected to emerge” among Harden’s potential pursuers over the summer, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Harden, entering his 15th NBA season, has made $337.3 million playing for the Thunder, Rockets, Nets and 76ers.
He averaged 21 points and a league-leading 10.7 assists per game, playing alongside MVP Joel Embiid in 2022-23.