ESPN NBA insider guru Adrian Wojnaroswki reported late afternoon Thursday that guard James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers have mutually agreed on a short-term strategy. Rather than decline the player option and renegotiate with the club as a free agent, Harden will take his one-year player option worth $35.6 million and the parties will work on a trade.

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James Harden and 76ers Will Work on a Trade

It was only earlier this week that whispers in the wind suggested that the star player was getting ready to commit to the Philadelphia 76ers. It would have happened via free agency, thus enabling he and the organization to negotiate a brand new contract.

But now it is being reported that Harden is less then enthused by how the ordeal has been managed by the 76ers, prompting this new strategy. The ESPN story points out that, at the very least, this is something that Harden and 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey have agreed to.

2022-2023 was a great year for James Harden, even though he didn’t resemble the Harden of old. He averaged an incredible 21 points and 10.7 assists per game. He doesn’t score as much as he used to but has morphed into one of the NBA’s best facilitators.

Sources have also shared with ESPN that both the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks are likely candidates for a trade. It should be noted that Philadelphia does not have to trade him, although not doing so could potentially lead to a very awkward summer and 2023-2024 season, so the odds are high that a trade will go through.

The 10-time All-Star arrived in Philadelphia in 2021. It was a team he explicitly wanted to join when he demanded to be traded away from the Brooklyn Nets. Should this come to pass, he and reigning MVP Joel Embiid will have never gone past the second round of the playoffs in two seasons together.