James Harden and the Sixers need each other

The lasting image of the Sixers’ offseason came far away from the Wells Fargo Center, at a party thrown by James Harden in Houston. Having already made his thoughts clear during a tour in China, Harden doubled down with a sign boasting a “DARYL MOREY IS A LIAR” message. The absurdity of doing so in this setting, on this sign, was made clear moments later when the same sign was used to send a very different message in a crowded, sweaty club: “I’M NOT PULLING OUT.”

It is the Sixers who are in too deep right now. A wall of assets they painstakingly collected during their rebuild has dwindled to just a few. They possess only a few things that offer much hope for the fanbase, and there isn’t even consensus on those. Joel Embiid’s Q-rating is astonishingly low following his first MVP season, with as many people feeling rage toward him as sympathy. Tyrese Maxey is the golden child, perhaps the reason some fans have stayed aboard, and he may only be a big extension next offseason from becoming the next source of scorn.

So here we sit, on the morning of Philadelphia’s media day, with one thing abundantly clear. James Harden does not want to be on this team, and the Sixers have certainly made attempts to grant his wish. But right now, they need one another, even if it is just a four-month truce before they part ways at the deadline. One will not survive without the other.

You and I are likely in agreement on where the road ends for a Harden-led team. The pattern is too familiar at this point — team-driving, game-winning performances suck us all in, before Harden pulls the chair away in the moments that matter most, not so much failing as receding entirely. It is what ultimately makes his summer of demands so unpalatable to this fanbase. It takes some nerve for this guy with this history and this recent finish to a season to point the finger at somebody else and say, “Sorry, this isn’t working.”

But that is the bet Daryl Morey and the organization made when they picked Harden up in 2022. Harden’s trade requests are well-publicized, but only part of his story as a star. Harden and Chris Paul were said to have gone months without speaking to one another in 2018-19, with the latter rejecting Harden’s approach to team offense. Harden’s relationship with Dwight Howard was fragile enough that there was speculation in Houston about whether the center was intentionally whiffing screens set for him, and Harden (perhaps jokingly) asked to come off of the bench so he could play with a 21-year-old Clint Capela instead. He isn’t the only player to grow tired of Paul or Howard, but no one should be shocked that Harden found someone else to put in the blame crosshairs.

The Sixers knew what they were getting into (and by dumping Ben Simmons, what they were getting out of). Morey wasn’t responsible for the ritualistic asset squandering the Sixers did before he arrived, but his bet on Harden was a calculated one. They were already short on young talent after moving multiple first-round picks for Tobias Harris in 2019, had already given up a future first-round pick to get off of Al Horford, and had a star good enough to make yearly runs at MVP honors. Moving multiple future picks was a statement of urgency. It needed to pay off.

That was true for the player as much as the team, if this summer hasn’t driven the message home enough. Houston decided they’d rather be in the Fred Van Vleet business even after Van Vleet’s shooting numbers plummeted in 2022-23 and Harden put together one of the better, most balanced seasons of his career. The Clippers have drawn the line on Harden trade talks on Terance Mann, a nearly 27-year-old role player who has started less than a third of his 270 professional games.

What spoke the loudest was Harden’s own decision to opt in for the final year of his current contract. Five years ago, James Harden entering free agency would have caused at least a third of the league to re-evaluate what their offseason plans were. That he wasn’t willing to take that chance this time around shows us how much things have changed in the time since.

At the moment, the team and player appear destined to die from mutually assured destruction. The Sixers are boxed out of most “meaningful” trade conversations because of what they’ve given up (as the Jrue Holiday talks illustrated), so it’s hard to see where unexpected improvement comes from. Harden might throw more gasoline on this Philadelphia fire, but that would only further cement his reputation as a volatile, even untrustworthy player future employers would likely avoid.

Coming together and putting hurt feelings aside isn’t going to erase the gains their rivals in Milwaukee and Boston made this offseason. But it is the clear-cut best on a list of mostly awful options.

Whatever Harden’s flaws are in moments big and small, the Sixers would not have had a chance to fail in a big moment without him last year. He has boosted Embiid’s efficiency. Maxey’s strengths have shined in a role playing off of Harden, and Maxey’s complete ineffectiveness vs. the Boston Celtics would be even starker as the lead guard. It’s easy to dismiss Harden’s 40-point outbursts against Boston as meaningless after the series loss, but there is a vanishingly small list of players who can singlehandedly carry teams to multiple wins in a series, let alone do so while the best player is ineffective or out entirely. His trade value and earning potential being down does not mean he is easily replaceable.

Most importantly — we will see what they have to say on Monday, but all indications are that Harden’s teammates have not turned their backs on him. There has been active and public support offered throughout the offseason, with Embiid and P.J. Tucker offering their own olive branches. Harden has been careful to direct his angst at just one person, leaving most of the organization unscathed and willing to embrace him for the good of the group. His value is understood and celebrated, with many of these guys keenly aware of Harden’s impact on their shot quality, percentages, and their ability to win and make money (perhaps not in that order).

The unanswered question is whether Harden has been or will be convinced that putting on a brave face is in his best interests and not just the team’s. You would understand if he disagrees with that assessment, as slashing and burning has worked just fine for him up to this point. He has made so much money through contracts and sponsorship deals that playing the rest of his career on below-market deals would change little about his life. It is hard to ask a man to shelve his pride after 14 years of asking him to build a Hall of Fame career out of that same self-belief.

The Sixers are likely doomed no matter what Harden decides, stuck chasing teams who were already better than them and loaded up further this summer. Trading Harden for pennies on the dollar would probably bring a wave of happiness to the fanbase, which is understandably ready to see some change for change’s sake. But until someone can present a credible option beyond “blow it up” or “just do something already,” repairing the relationship with Harden is all that’s left.