James Harden is now trying to “force his way out” of Philadelphia to land in Los Angeles as a member of the Clippers next season. 

Great. Nice job, Daryl. 

This is exactly what I have been saying since James Harden officially opted in to his $35.6 million player option with the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Harden didn’t have another option on the table in free agency. Ime Udoka straight up told the Rockets that he did NOT want Harden to return to Houston, which was long-rumored as his preferred landing spot throughout last season. 

Now, with the expectation of being traded, Harden wants to be in Los Angeles as a member of the Clippers.

James Harden ‘Determined’ to play for Los Angeles Clippers

Harden’s stance has not changed, a source close to him told The Athletic. He still wants to leave Philadelphia. He’s still upset with how Morey handled his situation heading into possible free agency last month. And even with the recent revelation that Harden attended the same NBPA party as Sixers co-star Joel Embiid and former Sixers owner Michael Rubin in Vegas, he’s still determined to start next season in a Clippers jersey. via Sam Amick of The Athletic

Cool, James. I’m now ‘determined’ to ensure that you play there as well.

So now we have James Harden “determined” to force himself out of Philadelphia just 1.5 years removed from Ben Simmons successfully forcing himself out of Philadelphia, which ultimately brought James Harden to Philadelphia. 

Tired yet? I certainly am and unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that this situation is going to end any time this summer. Daryl Morey is adamant on getting a “sizable return” for Harden but as I’ve said all along, he literally has zero leverage in any trade situation. 

Note: I would like to formally make a rule that any player who has his eyes set on going to Los Angeles to play basketball is a complete loser. It’s never solely about basketball at that point. Simmons wanted to be in California, and Harden does too. It’s not about the game for these guys. It’s about everything BUT the game. 

So now we’ll have to just wait and see how James Harden, who has a history of being a pain in the ass when he’s unhappy with his situation, handles the next saga of him wanting to leave his current team. 

If it’s anything like the Houston or even Brooklyn situations, then Harden will either be sitting out a lot, claiming injury, while spending a ton of time out at night clubs this season, which let me tell you, makes me sick even writing it now in the middle of July. 

Hopefully, Daryl Morey and Harden’s bizarre love affair with each other will be strong enough to avoid complete disaster but I definitely have my doubts. 

At the very beginning of this entire mess, I wrote that if James Harden was unsure about returning to Philadelphia, then the Sixers should have immediately cut their losses, entered a soft rebuild for a season before having more leverage next year to build a team that can actually contend for a championship with players who want to be in Philadelphia instead of guys like James Harden. 

Note: Tobias Harris will also be off the books following this season too.

Only the Sixers and Daryl Morey could constantly put themselves in situations like this. It’s beyond frustrating and really, insulting to a fanbase that has done nothing but support this team season after seasons of disappointment. 

My guess, the fallout that started last year, will be even worse this year if Morey and the Sixers do end up “running it back” with essentially the same team, plus a few extra centers, next season. 

Join The Chase