James Harden’s self-imposed exile from the Philadelphia 76ers ended Wednesday when the disgruntled guard reported to the team’s training camp in Colorado.
After repeatedly threatening in August to “never be a part of an organization” that employed 76ers President Daryl Morey because of a dispute over his unfulfilled offseason trade request, the 10-time all-star skipped the team’s media day Monday and its first day of training camp Tuesday. But Harden, who has sought a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers, joined 76ers camp at Colorado State University in Fort Collins on Wednesday.
“He looked good,” 76ers Coach Nick Nurse told reporters. “He participated in the majority of it. He looked, physically, in good shape. I talked to him before practice. But when that was over — it was right before practice — we went right in and the whistle blew and we got right to work. ... He’s here. He knows the schedule. We expect him to be here now.”
Philadelphia is seeking its seventh straight playoff appearance with Joel Embiid, the reigning MVP. Harden is the lead playmaker for an experienced roster that also includes Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, P.J. Tucker and Patrick Beverley. The 76ers won 54 games last season to finish with the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed before losing in the second round of the playoffs to the Boston Celtics in seven games.
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“[Harden] doesn’t have to address myself or anybody, truthfully,” Harris told reporters. “He’s here. His attitude and energy allowed everybody to understand that he wants to go out there and compete with us and get stuff done. In my opinion, that’s really all that matters. ... Everyone in here understands the business of it. He’s not in here disrespecting his teammates in any type of fashion.”
Harden, 34, averaged 21 points, 6.1 rebounds and a league-leading 10.7 assists last season, but the 76ers lost in the conference semifinals for the third consecutive year. When a major payday in free agency didn’t materialize, Harden elected to pick up his $35.6 million player option and request a trade rather than enter free agency. Morey, who was only interested in trading Harden if the return package bolstered Philadelphia’s contention hopes, was unable to find a deal.
The NBA fined Harden $100,000 for his pointed comments about Morey, which included calling the longtime NBA executive a “liar.” That bad blood set the stage for this week’s standoff, which came two years after the 76ers found themselves in a similar stalemate with disgruntled guard Ben Simmons, who was eventually traded to the Brooklyn Nets for Harden in February 2022.
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Morey acknowledged at media day that the 76ers face “a lot of skepticism” because of the Harden saga and defended his own professional reputation.
“[Harden] said what he meant,” Morey said. “I haven’t responded to that because I think it falls flat on its face. In 20 years of working in the league, I always follow through on everything. Every top agent knows that. Everyone in the league knows. You can’t operate in this job without that. … It’s disappointing he chose to handle it that way.”
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