Sixers News: James Harden Wanted to 'Retire' in Philly

Prior to his trade request, James Harden wanted to retire a Sixer.

Over the summer, James Harden made something clear to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The ten-time All-Star guard no longer wanted to play for the team and felt that his relationship with the team’s front office was beyond repair. 

By now, everybody knows what landed Harden and the Sixers in this position. Heading into the 2023 offseason, Harden hoped his season of sacrifice would result in a long-term contract offer from the Sixers. Before the organization had an opportunity to discuss Harden’s future, he picked up his player option for next season, which no longer gave the Sixers an option to discuss an extension.

When Harden picked up his option, he formally requested a trade. Months later, that remains the case. When Sixers’ President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey addressed the media last Monday, he confirmed that Harden still wanted to be traded and the team would negotiate with interested organizations.

Meanwhile, Harden returned to the team after skipping out on media day and the first training camp session in Colorado. Since Harden returned to the team, the star guard has participated in total capacity despite missing the team’s first two preseason matchups.

Although Harden has taken a business-as-usual approach for his Sixers teammates, the ten-time All-Star reiterated on Friday afternoon that his mind hasn’t changed. And while Harden claims he wanted to retire in Philadelphia after landing with the Sixers via trade in 2021, Harden mentioned that the front office did not share the same sentiment.

“The fans, man, I appreciate the support and love,” Harden told reporters. “It’s definitely a difficult time. For me, it’s just trusting the people that you’ve known for a decade. When I got traded here, my whole thing was I wanted to retire a Sixer. I wanted to be here and retire a Sixer. The front office didn’t have that in their future plan. It’s literally out of my control. It’s something I didn’t want to happen to be in this position. I got to make that decision for my family. Understand it’s a business. It’s as simple as that. I come here today, work my butt off, and do the things necessary as a professional that I’ve been doing for years."

Harden and his camp reportedly attempted to reach out to the Sixers’ front office prior to his option deadline. As the Sixers wanted to avoid landing in hot water with the league after getting hit with multiple tampering accusations last summer, the Sixers were only willing to negotiate with Harden after free agency opened up. 

Harden doesn’t seem to be open to buying into the Sixers for one final run this season. However, he’s willing to come and work as long as the team continues to field trade offers. Not only does Harden continue to practice with the Sixers, but he revealed on Friday that he’s “ramping up” and targeting a possible return to the court in the Sixers’ preseason finale next Friday.