With James Harden showing up to Philadelphia 76ers training camp and participating in practice with his teammates, many around the league have begun to assume that the former league MVP will begin the season with the organization. However, Harden's focus on wanting a trade has not gone away. With less than a week before the start of the new season, the All-Star is once again sparking trade rumors.

Harden, who has not played in any of the Sixers' preseason games, has not been with the team since Sunday and was once again a no show at practice on Wednesday, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

This report comes just a day after it was revealed that Harden has not attended any of the team's preseason games and participated in just one scrimmage over the course of training camp. Sixers reporter Austin Krell from 97.3 ESPN FM added some clarity to the situation, stating that Harden was at practice on Sunday and that the team was off on Tuesday.

Following Sunday's practice, Harden traveled to Houston and has been there since, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer

Throughout the offseason, Harden has been very vocal about wanting to leave the 76ers. He would ideally like to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, who the Sixers have held trade conversations with throughout the summer and into the preseason, but the two teams have been unable to find common ground on a trade in terms of value.

The Clippers have been unwilling to meet Philadelphia's demands of Terrence Mann and two unprotected first-round picks, which is understandable from Los Angeles' standpoint since they are not in a bidding war with any other team.

Just last week, Harden spoke to the media at practice, claiming that his relationship with the Sixers' front office could not be repaired.

“This is not even about this situation. This is in life, when you lose trust in someone,” Harden firmly stated. “It’s like a marriage. You lose trust in someone, you know what I mean? It’s pretty simple.”

It's worth noting that Harden said he could play in the team's final preseason game on Friday and that his plan is to “play basketball.” However, this plan may not be to play with the Sixers, as Harden's absence over the last handful of days is certainly more of a storyline than a headline.

At this point, it is hard to believe that Harden will be playing in the team's final preseason game and it continues to look more likely that he will begin the 2023-24 season away from the Sixers until he gets what he ultimately wants.