Does an under-discussed CBA provision give the Philadelphia 76ers the leverage they need in to keep James Harden or get what they want in return?
Another day, another chapter in the Sixers-Harden Cold War develops.
The two sides — primarily Sixers President of Basketball operations Daryl Morey and, likely, Harden's representatives — have been exchanging quiet leverage plays in the press since Christmas of last year.
Shortly before the Sixers tipped-off against the New York Knicks that day, it was reported that Harden and the Houston Rockets were interested in a reunion and that if the Sixers wanted to keep Harden — who had taken a pay cut in the summer of 2022 to give the Sixers cap space to sign P.J. Tucker and Danuel House — they would have to come good and offer the former MVP a multi-year max contract or else Houston would.
The timing of the report was strange, and while it remained a quiet undercurrent for the remainder of yet another Sixers season that ended in a second round defeat, it's tide did eventually rise.
The Rockets never made an offer to Harden. They elected to pursue Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks to join their up-and-coming core and new head coach Ime Udoka.
Harden's options thinned, and Morey decided to play hardball. Why make an upgraded offer to a player who couldn't earn that offer anywhere else?
Harden grew tired of these antics, and ultimately decided to opt-in to his player option for the upcoming season and formally requested a trade. He named the Los Angeles Clippers as his preffered destination.
In the roughly three weeks since that request, Morey has stated he will only trade Harden for another star player or a return that could lead to acquiring a star player in the future.
Clearly, no such offer has materialized, and the Sixers and Clippers have apparently not had serious discussions about a potential trade.
Morey stated he would also like Harden to come back.
Harden, in turn, doubled-down on his trade request and reiterated it to the man who brought him to Houston a decade ago.
NBA Rumors: CBA may give Sixers secret weapon to keep James Harden
On Wednesday, Harden removed "NBA Player for the Philadelphia 76ers" from his social media bio's as well as the location of Philadelphia, PA.
On Thursday, ESPN's Zach Lowe published a story on former Sixer Ben Simmons being credited for the year he sat out following his trade request to Morey, and included the following line about a now pertinent provision in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Essentially, it would be unwise for Harden to do what Simmons did and sit out. Simmons had leeway with this because there were multiple years left on his contract. If Harden were to do the same, the Sixers could potentially block him from becoming a free agent next summer and signing with another organization.
Harden has other options. He could be stubborn and report to camp out of shape, give very little effort, and take any number of steps to put the organization in a position where playing him is damaging.
We all remember the fat suit, don't we?
Harden could also cite injuries. There is no doubt he has ailments at this stage of his career, such as his hamstring that was an issue for his first half-season in Philadelphia, and could likely find a doctor to advise him to rest it for an extended period of time.
It is hard to say what this most recent leverage play in the media by Morey and the Sixers front office means exactly, but it has made one thing abundantly clear: both sides are willing to let this get ugly to get what they want.
