NBA star shooting guard James Harden has removed the names of his current team Philadelphia 76ers from his social media handles amidst trade talks. Harden has been pushing a move to leave the Sixers after just one season after failing breakout off the Eastern Conference and reaching the NBA finals.
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The Harden and Joel Embiid-led led 76ers managed to reach the Eastern Conference semi-finals but were eliminated by the Boston Celtics with a 4-3 margin. In this series, the Sixers were leading 3-2 but failed to finish off the series in the coming games and were eventually eliminated on the back of some top performances by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Since the playoff elimination, rumours about Harden asking out or demanding a trade have simmered. Reports also suggest that the 2018 MVP could eye for a Houston Rockets return. Hence adding further fuel to rumours, the 10-time All-Star removed any mention of the Sixers from his Twitter and Instagram accounts.
The 33-year-old is on an expiring contract and after the sub-par 2022-23 season, Harden’s value is probably as low as it's ever been. Reports of the 2018 MVP opting into his $35.6 million player option for 2023-24 and requesting a trade rather than becoming a free agent have surfaced. But this decision may seem difficult for both parties as his diminished value limits trade options.
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Reacting to these reports, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey talked about how the team are looking for trades for the Star Guard. "Right now, unfortunately, he does prefer to be somewhere else," Morey told Philly Voice. "I do have a long relationship with him, and I am attempting to honour that. But the reality is if we do look at a trade, it will be for one of two things. It's either going to be for a player who helps us be right there like we were last year.
