Knicks Were Involved in 76ers' 'Initial' James Harden Trade Talks

A report from ESPN's Ramona Shelburne confirmed that the New York Knicks played a role in the Philadelphia 76ers' ultimately futile James Harden trade discussions.

The New York Knicks have seemingly been connected to seemingly every potential NBA star on the move. This time, there's some actual credence to the wheeling and dealing ... or lack thereof.

Ramona Shelburne's detailed report on the active tensions between James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers franchise on ESPN.com confirms that the Knicks were involved in the ultimately futile transactional discussion surrounding the disgruntled star. New York and the Los Angeles Clippers were reportedly at the forefront of the discussions but neither was willing to pay Philadelphia's price. 

As animosity has heightened between Harden and the Sixers, Philadelphia has apparently sought not to engage in a full-on rebuild but rather remain in contention, especially if reigning MVP Joel Embiid (another reported New York target) is sticking around.

(Sixers general manager Daryl Morey) said he would make a good faith effort to trade Harden and had initial conversations, league sources said, with Harden's preferred team, the Clippers, as well as the New York Knicks."

"But by mid-August, it became clear none of the teams that expressed interest in Harden had any intention of giving Morey the kind of return he was looking for, namely, a player or assets to keep the team in championship contention."

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Disagreements between Harden and the Sixers have culminated in the former publicly referring to the latter (bestower of several prior Harden contracts in Houston) as a "liar" earlier this summer.

The Knicks have been lauded in recent times for their stockpiling of assets: not only have they packed their draft pick cabinet but the team boasts several young talents that have made major contributions (I.e. Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley). Whether their ultimate on-court legacy is destined for Manhattan or elsewhere remains to be seen, but, as the Knicks have stood their ground, that group and more guided the team to its most lucrative season in a decade.

Refusing to part ways with young talent echos last summer's process, one where the Knicks withdrew from trade talks involving former Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell. Salt Lake City reportedly sought soon-to-be fifth-year man RJ Barrett at the forefront of the deal but the Knicks refused to budge, instead giving Barrett a nine-figure contract extension that kicks in this coming season.

As it stands, Harden remains stationed on the Philadelphia roster, one that placed third in the Eastern Conference last season before yet another second-round exit. The first of four meetings between the Knicks and Sixers lands on Jan. 5 at Wells Fargo Center.