After being away from the team for the previous 10 days, James Harden on Wednesday reportedly returned to the Philadelphia 76ers’ practice facility, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. He is also reporting Harden is participating in the team’s practice.
Harden is dressed for practice and joining his teammates on the court, sources said.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 25, 2023
Harden missed the last week of practice for what the organization referred to as a “personal matter.” The 10-time All-Star is also in the midst of attempting to force a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers.
According to Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report, Harden will not be traveling with the team for their season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. The 34-year old is reportedly going to continue ramping up physically before stepping onto the court in game action.
Update: James Harden will not travel with the team to Milwaukee today, sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. He will remain in Philadelphia to continue his ramp up. https://t.co/C7tyGZETxM
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 25, 2023
It makes sense for the Sixers to sit Harden against the Bucks. He did not play in the preseason as he continued to make progress towards playing in game action. With trade negotiations reportedly at an impasse, Harden is not likely in any rush to step on the court for the Sixers.
While keeping Harden off the court against the Bucks is the logical move, the Sixers are reportedly creating some distance between Harden and the rest of the roster. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Sixers “asked Harden not to travel with the team” over the next few days.
James Harden returned to Philadelphia on Tuesday night with his bags packed to join team on the road for Thursday vs. Bucks and Saturday vs. Raptors, but the 76ers have now asked him not to travel with the team, sources said. https://t.co/N7GONkU6l9
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 25, 2023
This is just the latest move in what is clearly a messy situation between Harden and the Sixers. The organization is likely sending a message of their displeasure at Harden for missing the last week of practices. Even after rejoining the team, Harden’s intentions are unclear. He could be just attempting to avoid being fined for not fulfilling his contractual obligations. On the other hand, his absence could have been due to an actual personal matter he needed to address.
At this point, there are more questions than answers. There is an impasse on the trade front. Harden rejoined the team but is still not ready for game action. Are his intentions to cooperate with the team and suit up in game action? The Sixers, by asking him not to travel with the team to begin the season, are generating questions about their desire to play ball with Harden after his 10-day absence from the team. Regardless, when or if Harden will play for the Sixers in game action is unknown at this point.
