James Harden returned to practice with the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday after a 10-day absence, but he will not join them on their two-game road trip to open the 2023-2024 NBA season.
After practice, Harden arrived at the airport ready to join the team on its flight to Milwaukee before Thursday’s opener against the Bucks, but a security official denied him entry to the team plane. According to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes.
Before arriving at the airport, team officials told Harden that they preferred him to stay home to continue training.
From Heinz:
“Initially, staying was interpreted as a suggestion rather than a mandate, sources say. Harden proceeded to participate in portions of the session with the intention of joining the team on the plane to Milwaukee that afternoon.
The sources said: “After training, Harden arrived at the fixed base operator’s airport to board the team’s flight, but he was stopped by a security official and informed that he was not allowed to accompany the team.”
“General manager Elton Brand and head coach Nick Nurse spoke to Harden to explain that the organization would prefer to accept and follow their training plan, which includes remaining at the practice facility during the team’s absence,” sources say.
Later Thursday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the NBA will investigate Harden’s availability for the 76ers’ season-opening road trip “to determine if there is an approved reason for his nonparticipation.”
Do the 76ers want Harden to be 100% or do they really want to avoid any kind of distraction by having him on the road?
All of this comes as the Los Angeles Clippers, Harden’s preferred destination, have paused trade talks with the 76ers for the 10-time NBA All-Star and 2018 MVP after an up-and-down summer that looked like an exit from Philadelphia was a no-brainer. It’s inevitable.
Harden’s offseason saw him pick up his $35.6 million player option with the 76ers expected to trade him. That never materialized and the team planned to bring him back for training camp. While at an event in China in August, he called president of basketball operations Daryl Morey a “liar,” which resulted in a $100,000 fine from the league for “suggesting that he would not perform services required under his player contract unless traded to… Another team.”
Earlier this month, Harden said his relationship with Morey was beyond salvage.
“The whole thing was that I wanted to retire as a Sixer and the front office didn’t have that in their future plans,” he said.
Even with Harden staying home, his future with the franchise will be a topic of daily conversation until a resolution is reached. There is no way for the team to avoid this.
Nurse, meanwhile, is abstract Trying to worry about things on the field for now.
“My concerns now will really focus on the game [Thursday] a night. We’ve put a lot of effort into this, and we’re in a great place I think mentally, preparation-wise, all that stuff. “This is what I will continue to do,” he said.
The 76ers’ home opener is Sunday night when they host the Portland Trail Blazers.
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