The Philadelphia 76ers have spent the past three months bracing for the inevitable that is James Harden's departure. However, Daryl Morey, being the astute front-office executive that he is, is refusing to relent an inch in trade talks. In fact, even though Harden intended to rejoin the team for their season-opening road trip, the Sixers refused to let him join, with the team being confident enough in their ability to take home the victory against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.

And the Sixers, despite being down their All-Star starting point guard from last season, nearly had enough to defeat the Bucks, only suffering a loss in the final minute thanks to some characteristic Damian Lillard heroics. Tyrese Maxey had a stellar game, posting 31 points and eight dimes, and three other players (Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Kelly Oubre Jr.) scored 20+ points, flourishing in new head coach Nick Nurse's system.

Thus, despite the Sixers' trade talks with the Los Angeles Clippers having hit the pause button, it seems like Daryl Morey and company are in a good position to remain competitive even without James Harden. And Morey recognizes this. In fact, he even liked a tweet from Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer stating that “they should be patient” and “can't settle” for a meh trade return when they're still one strong piece away from legitimately competing for a championship.

Via ClutchPoints Twitter:

It seems as though the Sixers and Clippers find themselves at a stalemate once again, with the two teams with championship aspirations staring at each other's eyes until the other blinks. The Clippers also hit pause on James Harden trade talks because they know that, being the only reported legitimate suitor for The Beard, the Sixers may find it difficult to find a trade partner willing to give them any sort of value for an increasingly disgruntled Harden.

But patience has paid off for Daryl Morey in the past. After all, in 2022, the Sixers were able to trade the much-maligned Ben Simmons, who was coming off a terrible postseason that tanked his reputation, for James Harden. But can Morey catch lightning in a bottle twice, or is he flying too close to the sun?