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76ers’ asking price for All-Star guard James Harden remains high

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James Foglio
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Updated05 Jul 2023

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Philadelphia 76ers asking price for All-Star guard James Harden remains high

The Philadelphia 76ers are demanding generous compensation for a potential James Harden trade, per sources. “If it was up to the Sixers, they would get James Harden enthusiastic about playing next season,” said ESPN’s Adrian Wojnowski.

“The Sixers have been talking to teams about trades for James Harden. Their asking price is really high. It feels a lot like where they were with Ben Simmons two years ago. … There’s a lot of work that’s gotta be done with Harden before he’s really enthusiastic about a return there.”

Per a few NBA betting sites, the Philadelphia 76ers hold eighth-shortest odds to win next season’s championship in 2024. Check out which sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Miami Heat.


James Harden, 33, exercised his $35.64 million player option for the 2023-24 season with the 76ers last Thursday. His player option is part of the two-year, $68.64 million contract he signed with Philly last July. If Harden plays out his current deal, he will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Harden signed his two-year deal last offseason after declining a $47.4 million player option for the 2022-23 season, which was included in the four-year, $171 million extension he signed with the Houston Rockets in July 2017. At the moment, the Los Angeles Clippers are the frontrunners to sign the 14-year veteran.

Philadelphia 76ers’ high asking price for James Harden could be deterring trade suitors from agreeing to a deal

The Clippers are not only open to trading Paul George, but they’re also shopping Norman Powell and Marcus Morris. If L.A. was still interested in adding Harden, the Western Conference contender would have to surrender a lot to acquire him. Perhaps too much is at stake.

In 58 starts of the 2022-23 season, Harden averaged 21 points, 6.1 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 36.8 minutes per game. The 10-time All-Star shot 44.1% from the floor and 38.5% outside the arc, his highest 3-point shooting percentage since 2011-12 with the Oklahoma City Thunder (39%).

Furthermore, in the 76ers’ 119-114 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 23, Harden recorded a triple-double. The California native logged 20 points, 11 boards, a career-high 21 assists, and one steal in 42 minutes as a starter. He also finished 6-of-17 (35.5%) shooting from the field and drained three 3-pointers.


In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Harden tied a playoff career high 45 points in a 119-115 victory over the Celtics. The seven-time All-NBA member hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final seconds of the fourth while Joel Embiid was out due to an injury.

Following a 42-point outing in Game 4 with the 76ers, Harden joined Jerry West, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant as the only guards in NBA history to post at least 10 40-point playoff games.

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