With James Harden, the Philadelphia 76ers were essentially at a stalemate going into the 2023–24 season. The Los Angeles Clippers are most frequently mentioned as Harden’s potential new team. Kendrick Perkins, a former teammate of Harden’s, clarified why the Los Angeles Lakers ought to think about signing Harden.
“If I’m the Los Angeles Lakers, I might be looking to trade for James Harden. James Harden wants to go to the Clippers, but to be honest with you, James Harden to the Lakers makes the most sense for Anthony Davis. If you want to get him good, easy looks like James Harden did for Joel Embiid last season, how about trading for him,” Perkins said on ESPN’s NBA Today on October 27.
At the moment, the only contracts on the Lakers that they could potentially exchange for Harden are LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Lakers definitely would not trade either of them for Harden. D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Gabe Vincent won’t be trade-eligible until December 14. Austin Reaves won’t be trade-eligible until January 14 following his extension.
For a trade to happen between the Sixers and Lakers, the Lakers would likely have to wait until around Christmas.
NBA Legend Wants Sixers GM Fired Over James Harden Saga
On the October 26 episode of “KG Certified,” NBA legend Kevin Garnett singled out Daryl Morey for how he handled the James Harden saga. Garnett believes that Daryl Morey handled it poorly enough that he should lose his job.
“This could have been resolved a long time ago,” Garnett said. “This is the bullsh*t of whatever dude name is Marley, the f**king GM in f**king Philly. These are games. He could have done this in the summer. This could have been over. If I’m Joel Embiid, man, I’m asking for Daryl Morey to be fired and get the f**k out.”
Not only that, but Garnett believes Joel Embiid should be mad at the Sixers for not resolving the problem.
“If I am Embiid, I am livid,” Garnett said. “I am livid. Man, y’all should have got this problem out of here, got this out of here. He’s the MVP, bro. He ain’t in no championship talks.”
Despite Garnett’s pleas, there here have been no reports that Embiid is angry with the Sixers over Harden or anything else. If the Sixers fail to improve if and when they trade Harden, that could change.
Nick Nurse Gives Update on James Harden
Despite Harden missing the Sixers’ first three games, he remains involved with the team in some capacity. Head Coach Nick Nurse updated reporters on where Harden is at.
As reported by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps on October 29, Nurse stated, “James was here.” He was present for the walkthrough and filming. According to the source, he had a few excellent conditioning days and is already ramping up. Practice is expected to resume on Tuesday. That’s about the status of that.
Furthermore, Nurse provided additional upbeat information about Harden’s potential comeback.
The nurse stated, “All signs are positive in terms of conditioning and all those things.” “All we need to do is get him involved in some live action, which should be possible by Tuesday.”
Harden’s best option might be to play well enough to increase his trade worth in order to avoid the Sixers, even if he still wants to be traded.
