Philadelphia 76ers are determined to keep James Harden on their roster. The Sixers won’t agree to any trade deal that might minimize their chances of winning the NBA championship next season.
This determination of the Sixers shows their goal, and it also shapes how other teams will approach trade talks with them.
James Harden’s Trade Desire: Sixers and Clippers Yet to Decide
James Harden requested his trade from the current team, Philadelphia Sixers, to the Los Angeles Clippers. However, both of these teams have not made any decision on the trade deal.
Ramona Shelburne, an NBA Insider from ESPN, has said:
“I think the Sixers have been pretty clear in that they’re going to entertain conversations for James Harden because he has asked them to, and Daryl Morey’s relationship with James Harden goes back so far, and they’ve done a lot of things together in this league that he feels like he owes it to him to entertain trade conversations,”
Shelburne further added:
“But he’s also made it very clear we’re not going to trade James Harden for anything less than a player that they think puts them on the same percentage to win a championship. And in Philly, they have this, ‘What is your percentage to win a championship with the roster that you have?’
“So that’s either a player comes back for James that helps them get there or a package that they can then use to get a player like that. And as you know, that’s hard to get. I don’t think they’re in any hurry to do that when they have interest from the Clippers and a couple other teams, but nothing that’s blown them away.”
Sixers Aim to Keep Harden for Title Pursuit in Upcoming Season
The Sixers want to keep Harden on their roster to increase their chances of winning the next title. The team is comfortable with retaining him for the upcoming NBA Season.
Furthermore, it’s up to the Sixers whether or not they want to trade Harden since he is on a no-trade clause contract.
Harden is disappointed about the fact that his own team and how the Sixers dealt with his potential free agency. He has expressed his feeling by requesting a trade.
In the last NBA Season, James Harden did a good job by averaging 21 pounds, 6.1 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game. Harden also made 44.1% of his shots, along with 38.5% of 3-pointers and 86.7% free throws.
