NBA
League insiders have called Daryl Morey’s asking price for James Harden ‘exorbitant’
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated17 Jul 2023
This offseason, we’ve heard two different sides of the story when it comes to James Harden’s future. Sources have said that the 33-year-old wants to stay with the Sixers. However, other insiders say that he’s interested in joining the Clippers. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said that Philadelphia’s Daryl Morey’s asking price for Harden is “exorbitant”. Teams around the league are not going to trade for Harden until the situation becomes more realistic.
The past three regular seasons have been a whirlwind for James Harden. He asked for a trade out of Houston in 2020-21 and was sent to the Brooklyn Nets. At the 2021-22 trade deadline, Harden requested a trade and was shipped off to the 76ers. Now, the veteran PG could be headed to his fourth team in four seasons if the Sixers trade him this offseason.
Harden has a lot to think about this offseason and has an important decision to make. The only way he’ll be traded is if Daryl Morey lower’s his asking price at some point this off-season.
Report: Daryl Morey’s asking price for James Harden is ‘exorbitant’ https://t.co/qVQzlGNpXA
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 17, 2023
Will Daryl Morey be able to find a suitor willing to trade for James Harden?
At this point in his career, James Harden’s offensive game is not what it used to be. He’s still a great three-point shooter, but his first step and explosiveness are not as effective. However, Harden has shifted his mindset to a pass-first PG and has excelled in that role.
Last season, he led the league in assists (10.7) per game for the first time since 2016-17. He played and started in 58 of Philadelphia’s 82 games last in 2022-23. Even with the small success Harden’s had with the Sixers, he could still want out this offseason.
This offseason, the 10-time all-star opted into a $35.6 million player option for 2023-24. Reports around the league say that Harden signed that player option with the intent of the Sixers working for a sign-and-trade. Adrian Wojnarowski said that the Sixers hope that Harden might want to finish out his contract with Philly this season. At the end of 2023-24, Harden is an unrestricted free agent.
