About a month ago, the Philadelphia 76ers confirmed that they have ended trade talks for James Harden. Though that was the case, Harden at the time was vocal about not returning to training camp this month and that he is still holding out for the Los Angeles Clippers to make the trade happen.
Now, according to ESPN‘s Brian Windhorst, the Clippers have also ceased trade discussions for the Sixers’ guard. Windhorst spoke of this in the recent episode of The Hoop Collective Podcast. Windhorst shared that Philadelphia did try to trade for Harden but in the end, it was Los Angeles who ended the talks in acquiring the player. He said, “[The Clippers] tried to trade for James Harden, and that deal didn’t happen. And from what I understand, it was the Clippers who said, ‘Okay, there’s no deal here. We’re gonna move on.’ And while I assume that they could certainly make a deal midseason, I assume that this is what they’re gonna go with.”
The Clippers were the ideal landing spot for Harden leading up to the 2023-24 season. In June, the guard requested to trade from the 76ers and even picked up his $35.6 million USD player option for the upcoming season. Harden was also potentially looking into the New York Knicks, but nothing materialized between the two teams. With the NBA season starting in October, it seems that Harden will remain with the Sixers for now, although it is uncertain how conversations between management and the player are going after his vocal disapproval of the team’s back office.
In other sports news, Aaron Rodgers recently sustained a season ending injury.
