76ers: Are Joel Embiid and James Harden in Good Spirits?

Has James Harden's noisy, drama-filled offseason hurt his relationship with 76ers star Joel Embiid?

The Philadelphia 76ers are set to travel to Colorado early next month for the start of training camp. At this point in the offseason, the Sixers still employ James Harden, who remains disgruntled and wishes he was gearing up for his first training camp with the Los Angeles Clippers.

From the moment Harden picked up his player option for the 2023-2024 season in July, it was apparent that he didn’t want to return to play for the 76ers for a third season. At the time, it was reported that Harden and the Sixers were going to work together on facilitating a trade.

Unfortunately, the Sixers weren’t landing desirable offers from Los Angeles. As a result, Harden grew frustrated and made his thoughts public. 

USA Today

Not only did Harden refer to Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey as a “liar” while doing a press tour out in China, but Harden also alluded to the idea that his tenure in Philadelphia is likely over due to the fact that the player-team relationship is fractured beyond repair.

Harden hasn’t gone public since he discussed his trade situation in China and Houston last month, but soon enough, we’ll see if the star guard is willing to take his trade demand to the next step by skipping out on the three-day training camp, which takes place in Fort Collins on October 3. 

Right now, mixed signals are being sent regarding Harden’s training camp availability. On the one hand, there is belief that Harden has shown little desire to return to the Sixers in any capacity. On the other hand, a message has been tossed out there that the ten-time All-Star guard could pull a Minnesota Timberwolves Jimmy Butler and return to the team with a fire.

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported in-depth on the feud between Harden and the Sixers recently and discussed the situation further on The Lowe Post podcast. Discussing the talks surrounding Harden’s training camp plans, Shelburne offered up the dueling messages that have hit the NBA’s rumor mill recently.

“There are some people close to Harden who say, ‘Absolutely not, he’s never gonna play with [the Sixers] again. He’s so stubborn, he’s so hurt and betrayed — I can’t see him ever doing that.’ Then, there is other people who are sort of suggesting he’s going to come in and be in the best shape of his life, be amazing, and re-establish his value in the NBA.”

Despite the conflicting reports, Shelburne predicts Harden will make an appearance at Sixers training camp next month. While the chances of Harden tucking away his frustrations are low, a temporary fix on the situation could get both parties to where they want to be as the 2023-2024 season progresses.

“I don’t know if he and Daryl Morey work it out, but I think he has to compartmentalize and just play it out,” Shelburne explained. “Nick Nurse, I mean, look — if you hired this coach, who won a championship with Kawhi Leonard who never wanted to be in Toronto, who played it out and literally got traded to Toronto and they sort of talked him into being there. … I think Nick can make that work. I think Harden has kept the bridges open with his teammates. I don’t know if there is as strong a bond as there was at the beginning of the summer. He put them all in a tough situation as well, but he was invited to Joel Embiid’s wedding. He did not go, but that doesn’t mean they don’t like each other. They’re still in communication. They still talk. I think everybody involved has this attitude of, this is between James and Daryl.”

Embiid and several other teammates showed support for Harden during the summer. While the MVP big man was admittedly disappointed in hearing Harden wanted out, he clearly didn’t hold any ill will towards the league’s reigning assist leader. 

There’s a bottom line here for Harden; the market is dry, and the only way to create desirable offers is to play and prove that he’s worth what he’s demanding. Considering Harden maintained a solid relationship with his teammates, including Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, nothing should be awkward on the court if Harden indeed plays for the 76ers again. 

Based on the Clippers’ current mindset, two things would need to happen for Philadelphia to gain an attractive offer from the West Coast contenders. One, the Clippers would have to see they have a need for a playmaking ball-handler. Two, Harden would need to prove he can consistently play at a high level still.

While Harden’s 2022-2023 run was far from underwhelming, his inconsistent playoff run has left a bad impression on interested organizations. And the fact that Harden missed the All-Star game for the first time in a decade didn’t help his cause, either. 

The situation between Harden and the Sixers remains under a microscope as there are plenty of questions left unanswered. Soon enough, we’ll see Harden’s next move.