
In late June, Harden chose to exercise his $35.6 million option for the upcoming season, deliberately facilitating potential trade discussions with the Sixers. Harden was explicit in his desire for a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers, while Daryl Morey, the president of basketball operations for the 76ers, emphasized that any trade involving Harden would only occur if it resulted in a reasonable and equitable exchange.
“If we don’t get either a very good player or something that we can turn into a very good player then we’re just not going to do it,” Morey said last month. However, Morey’s asking price was too steep for the Clippers or anyone else, per ESPN’s report.
In the previous season, Harden, aged 33, achieved an average of 21.0 points, 10.7 assists, and 6.1 rebounds over 58 games. His career statistics encompass averages of 24.7 points, 7.0 assists, and 5.6 rebounds across a span of 1,000 games (786 of which he started) throughout his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, and 76ers.
The trade that brought Harden to the Sixers involved the exchange of players, sending Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond to the Brooklyn Nets.