James Harden Open to Trade to 76ers, Other Contenders

• James Harden has told the Rockets he would accept a trade to the 76ers
• A trade to Philadelphia would reunite Harden with former Rockets GM Daryl Morey
• Rockets’ 2021 NBA title odds have drifted to +6000 after Harden declined to attend training camp

While the vast majority of players have reported to their respective teams since NBA training camps opened last week, there is one particularly noteworthy exception. That would be none other than James Harden, who has yet to show up since the Houston Rockets opened their first training sessions of the new season over the weekend.

While new head coach Stephen Silas was initially willing to give Harden the benefit of the doubt, Silas has since changed his tune. On Monday, Silas said that he knows why Harden hasn’t reported to camp, but that the impetus is on the player to explain his reason.

Harden-Morey Reunion?

Several weeks ago, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Harden has asked the Rockets for a trade. While Harden was initially dead-set on forcing a reunion with ex-teammate Kevin Durant in Brooklyn, Wojnarowski reported on Tuesday that Harden is open to a move to other teams, as well.

Reporting w/ @ESPN_MacMahon: James Harden has recently indicated to Houston he’d be open to a trade to Philadelphia or other contenders. So far, no substantive talks with Sixers. Daryl Morey’s been adamant he wants to keep his two young stars. https://t.co/9ZFKB8MSGx

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 8, 2020

Wojnarowski said that Harden has told the Rockets that he would be open to a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers, among other contenders. In Philadelphia, Harden would be reunited with Daryl Morey, who recently left his post as Houston’s president of basketball operations to take the same job with the Sixers. Morey was the Rockets’ general manager when Houston acquired Harden from Oklahoma City in the 2012 blockbuster trade.

Harden reportedly told the Rockets that a trade to Philly would be acceptable once it became clear that Houston was not interested in what the Nets had to offer. Harden has also said that there are other teams out there that he would be willing to join if the Rockets can find a suitable deal.

No Trade Talks Yet

Woj added that the Rockets and Sixers have not yet had extended discussions about a potential trade. Morey has said that he has no intentions of breaking up the 76ers’ star duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, but that could change if the Rockets were serious about the potential to dangle Harden.

One of the two would almost surely have to be involved in any deal in order to entice the Rockets to part ways with one of their most iconic players in franchise history. Simmons is about to enter the first year of a five-year extension that will pay him about $170 million. The 24-year-old was a third-team All-NBA selection last season. The 26-year-old Embiid has about $95 million left on his contract that spans the next three seasons.

Harden has the ability to opt-out of his current contract after the 2021-22 season. Any team that trades for Harden would certainly prefer to have the assurance that he would be willing to stay beyond the next two years, especially if they are to be asked to pay a high price in a trade with Houston.

Rockets’ Title Odds Falling

Just last week, the Rockets traded Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards for John Wall and a protected future first-round draft pick. The Rockets have remained insistent that any trade involving a player of Harden’s caliber would have to net the team a young potential franchise centerpiece as well as a bundle of future draft assets or young talent.

Houston has been among the leading NBA championship contenders for the past half-decade, but the Rockets’ title odds have taken a serious hit heading into the 2020-21 campaign. The Rockets are currently listed at +6000 to win next year’s NBA title at BetOnline.ag, which puts them in the same neighborhood as fringe contenders like the Trail Blazers (+5000), Suns (+4000), and Pelicans (+7000).

Betting sites are clearly hedging with the Rockets due to the possibility that Harden could be dealt before the season even begins. The Rockets have reshaped their entire organization this offseason with the departures of Westbrook, Morey, and former head coach Mike D’Antoni. The team has brought in Wall, Christian Wood, and DeMarcus Cousins this offseason, but Harden appears dead-set on playing elsewhere.

The reigning NBA scoring champion has two full years left on his current deal with a player option for the 2022-23 season. Harden will earn just under $41 million this season and about $44 million next season, while his 2022-23 player option is worth nearly $47 million.