When James Harden exercised his participant possibility for the 2023-24 season on June 29, it got here with a caveat, one who has grow to be common for the 10-time All-Megastar all through the latest level of his occupation — a business request.

Harden anticipated the Philadelphia 76ers to business him this offseason, the 3rd year he has asked a business since Jan. 2021, when he left the Houston Rockets. And when Harden makes a speciality of discovering a fresh group, he does no longer take a seat idly by means of in the meanwhile.

The start of some other Harden business saga has began to play games out all through the week hour. Harden voiced his displeasure about nonetheless being a member of the Sixers all through a contemporary look in China, calling out Philadelphia’s president of basketball operations Daryl Morey.

“Daryl Morey is a liar, and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden stated all through an Adidas media match in China. “Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar, and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.”

The NBA fined Harden $100,000 for that commentary, which has been challenged by means of the Nationwide Basketball Avid gamers Affiliation, which introduced extreme future that it intends to report a complaint towards the league. But, Harden’s sadness in Philadelphia has adopted a matching development to his earlier stops across the league.

Harden has already been traded 3 times in his occupation and is looking for a fourth, so right here’s a glance again at his business historical past and the criteria that were given him out of the town:

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Houston Rockets (2012-2021)

Coincidentally plenty, the Harden moment in Houston started with a business. Harden used to be named 6th Guy of the Month in 2011-12, serving to the Oklahoma Town Thunder succeed in the NBA Finals. Coming into the overall yr of his agreement, he used to be eligible to signal an extension. The Thunder presented him a four-year, $55.5 million trade in, not up to the max he used to be eligible for. No longer keen to shoot that trade in, Harden used to be traded to Houston, the place Morey, next Houston’s basic supervisor, believed Harden had the gear of a month celebrity. To again up his trust, Morey signed Harden to a five-year, $80 million extension days next finishing the business.

Harden delivered on that trade in, racking up All-Megastar appearances, 3 scoring titles and the 2017-18 Maximum Worthy Participant award age the Rockets turned into perennial contenders, by no means lacking the playoffs all through his first 8 seasons with the group.

Issues went south, alternatively, as soon as the connection between Harden and Chris Paul started to go to pot next their run to the 2018 Western Convention finals. Next please see season, Harden insisted the group business for Russell Westbrook, assets advised ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, pronouncing he’d call for a business if the Rockets didn’t have the option to take action. However their lone season in combination ended with an early playoff walk, and each stars now not sought after to play games in combination.

Next 8 years, Harden had began to really feel doubts about his month in Houston. His fracture with Westbrook ahead of the 2020-21 season successfully marked the top of his tenure, and Morey stepped i’m sick from his place on Oct. 15, 2020. By way of November, Harden used to be desirous about forcing his solution to Brooklyn.

Harden not on time his arrival to coaching camp for a future, putting out in lieu with rapper Lil Child in Las Vegas. Days ahead of the group’s season opener, Harden violated the league’s fitness and protection protocols by means of attending a personal indoor birthday celebration, which led to a $50,000 superb by means of the NBA.

But, he performed within the Rockets’ season opener and dropped 44 issues. He publish a minimum of 30 issues in his upcoming two video games ahead of he used to be a past due scratch in his fourth duel as a result of an ankle shock. Next months of business hypothesis and experiences about his sadness, Harden’s manufacturing all through his ultimate 5 video games in Houston plummeted — 17.4 issues on 37.8% taking pictures age the Rockets dropped 4 of 5 video games. Next their loss on Jan. 12, Harden advised newshounds the Rockets have been “just not good enough.”

It used to be his ultimate duel with the group. He used to be traded one moment upcoming to the Brooklyn Nets in a four-team business to arrange a possible superteam that includes Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

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Brooklyn Nets (2021-2022)

Harden’s tenure with the Nets is among the NBA’s largest what-ifs in fresh reminiscence.

The Nets traded away a couple of promising younger gamers in Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert in addition to 4 first-round choices and 3 pick out swaps to obtain Harden and pair him with Durant and Irving to method a name contender within the East.

Then again, each Durant and Harden had their availability restricted by means of accidents. Harden performed 36 video games with the Nets the primary season next the business, lacking 21 of the overall 24 regular-season video games as a result of a strained hamstring. He returned for Brooklyn’s first-round win over the Celtics however reinjured the hamstring in Recreation 1 of the second one around, inflicting him to omit 3 video games. Harden obviously wasn’t himself when he returned for the overall 3 video games of the seven-game loss to the Milwaukee Greenbacks.

Nets GM Sean Marks spoke of a plan to ink Durant, Harden and Irving to agreement extensions in the summertime of 2021, however best Durant signed on. The upcoming season, Irving’s choice to not shoot the COVID-19 vaccine made him ineligible to play games in Unused York Town and restricted his availability all through the 2021-22 season. The trio ended up taking part in simply 16 video games in combination throughout two seasons.

Simply 13 months following his business request from the Rockets, Harden used to be in quest of some other business similar the closing date in Feburary 2022. He resisted making a proper request out of concern of people backlash for asking out as soon as once more, assets advised ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, however he sought after a business to Philadelphia to reunite with Morey.

Harden overlooked his ultimate 4 video games with Brooklyn eminent as much as the closing date as a result of a hamstring shock ahead of the Sixers, desperate to go on from Ben Simmons and their very own monthslong saga, made the trade in to change guards on Feb. 10, 2022.

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Philadelphia 76ers (2022-2023)

The Sixers leased Morey as their president of basketball operations in November 2020, a hour next he left the Rockets, and when Simmons let or not it’s recognized he sought after out, Morey poised his ocular on Harden.

When Harden turned into unsatisfied in Brooklyn, the Sixers have been in a position to playground the previous MVP along month MVP middle Joel Embiid. Harden took on extra of a playmaking position in Philadelphia, with Embiid the center piece of the offense, or even because the 76ers have been eradicated in the second one around of the playoffs (with Harden averaging 18.2 issues in step with duel on 40.5% taking pictures towards the Miami Warmth), the partnership appeared forged.

Harden even declined his $47.4 participant possibility with Philadelphia extreme offseason to deliver to signal a two-year, $68 million agreement, a pay short that gave the Sixers salary-cap flexibility in order P.J. Tucker and Danuel Area Jr., either one of whom had performed with Harden in Houston. In line with Wojnarowski, Harden advised Morey that he sought after to do his phase to improve the group’s roster and provides it a probability to compete for a championship. The agreement integrated a participant possibility on the second one season, which might give Harden the chance to barter some other detached agent trade in this summer season.

Next some other second-round walk by which Harden disillusioned in losses in Video games 6 and seven (a mixed 22 issues on 7-of-27 taking pictures with 10 giveover), Harden had the probability to choose out and take a look at the detached agent marketplace. Then again, he determined to choose in to offer protection to his $35.6 million wage. Assets advised Wojnarowski that Harden and the 76ers would paintings in combination on discovering a business, with the LA Clippers as his desired vacation spot. Philadelphia and LA had periodic conversations however negative traction on a trade in, and assets advised Wojnarowski on Aug. 12 that the Sixers knowledgeable Harden they ended business talks and deliberate in order him again for the beginning of the season. Harden’s fresh feedback towards Morey in China have been regarded as a results of the Sixers’ lack of ability to discover a business spouse for him next he opted in as Harden believed they’d.

The Sixers are scheduled to document for coaching camp on Oct. 2, one thing Harden plans to do, assets advised ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. Then again, executives in Houston and Brooklyn first believed they may are living with an unsatisfied celebrity ahead of temporarily discovering the status untenable. With greater than a hour till coaching camp, Harden’s month in Philadelphia residue non-transperant as some other business request saga continues to play games out.