Keeping James Harden Might Actually Be the Best Move for Philadelphia

James Harden wants out of Philadelphia.

That has not changed, as The Athletic first reported last week.

Philadelphia can’t afford to simply offload James Harden.

That can never change.

Weeks have passed since Harden pulled off the rare opt-in-and-ask-out. Time has not altered Harden’s position. An encounter with Joel Embiid at former Sixers owner Michael Rubin’s annual White Party earlier this month didn’t either. For the third time in as many years, Harden wants to be relocated.

And the Sixers?

They should tell Harden to settle in for another Philadelphia winter.

There is no market for Harden. If there were, he would be gone already, either via free agency (again, Harden opted in) or trade. For weeks Sixers officials have been canvassing the NBA for a satisfactory offer. It isn’t there. The Clippers, Harden’s preferred destination, are interested. But not, it seems, at the cost of Terance Mann and what’s left of their first-round draft capital.

Should Philadelphia accept some expiring contracts and second-rounders?

No.

It should tell Harden to play.

But the distraction. It’s true: Harden’s ability to extract himself from undesirable situations is positively Costanza-esque. He sleepwalked through a few weeks in Houston before the Rockets moved him. A four-points-in-37-minutes effort, if you want to call it that, in the middle of an early February 2021 road trip with Brooklyn convinced the Nets it was time to send him packing.

That was then, though. Circumstances change. In 2020, Harden had the protection of a multiyear contract. In ’21, Harden was a top-of-his-game playmaker going to a team that forked over multiple first-round picks to get him with a top exec (Daryl Morey) who openly revered him.

Harden could afford to mail in games to get his way.

Next season, he can’t.

Harden is irritated that Philadelphia wouldn’t commit several years and big bucks to him. O.K.—is there really going to be a team willing to pay Harden, who will be 35 next summer, if he mopes through an entire season?

In Shanghai, maybe.

Not in the NBA.

The Sixers can expect the best from Harden, if for no other reason than it’s what’s best for Harden. A big year, and Harden, a near-miss All-Star last season who averaged 21 points and a league-high 10.7 assists, will be sought after on the free-agent market. A bad one could have Harden chasing mid-level exceptions into retirement.

Is there any team better equipped to deal with distraction than Philadelphia? Morey appears to thrive in chaos. Nick Nurse led a Raptors team with Kawhi Leonard on a one-year rental to a championship. Embiid expertly navigated the Sixers through L’Affaire Ben Simmons. A cranky Harden he can handle.

Besides, with Harden, Philadelphia is a title contender. Look around: Miami (for now) got weaker. Boston (for now) did, too. The Bucks are good, but older. Out West, Denver lost Bruce Brown. Philadelphia has Embiid. A still-improving Tyrese Maxey. A contract-year Tobias Harris. Depth with Patrick Beverley, P.J. Tucker and Paul Reed.

That team can’t compete for a title?

That team should compete for a title.

Then there’s Embiid, the reigning MVP, who sent a chill down Broad Street with his comments at the Uninterrupted Sports Film Festival last week. “I just want to win a championship, whatever it takes,” Embiid said. “I don’t know where that’s going to be. Whether it’s Philly or anywhere else, I just want to have a chance to accomplish that.”

Yikes. While it’s worth noting that Embiid has had chances to win championships in Philadelphia and came up short—his Game 7 second-half stinker in the conference semifinals blew the Sixers’ best chance to win in years—his words can be construed as a warning. And while Embiid is under Philly’s control through 2025–26, in today’s NBA contracts have become meaningless. If a player wants out, they get out.

The Sixers want to head that off. Harden, at least for one season, at least for now, represents the best chance to do it.

Philadelphia will due its diligence in the coming weeks. It will press the Clippers for better offers and hope that another team emerges with one. It will attempt to satisfy Harden’s trade request while being conscious of Embiid, who will turn 30 next season, not wanting to throw another season away.

And if the Sixers can’t find the right deal?

There’s only one thing to tell James Harden.

Get ready to play.