Although the Philadelphia 76ers would prefer to keep James Harden, the situation appears to have reached the point of no return. This has now become a full-blown toxic relationship following the guard's incendiary “liar” diatribe of team president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. And the worst could still be to come.
“Somebody told me yesterday that this is just the beginning of what James Harden is going to do to make life very uncomfortable for the Philadelphia 76ers going into training camp,” ESPN's Ramona Shelburne said on Tuesday's edition of NBA Today.
That is a downright terrifying thought for the entire organization and fans, both of whom would rather be thinking about how the Sixers can take the next step into title contention. The James Harden situation prevents that essential goal from taking priority and instead brings this franchise to the fringes of circus territory. This is already a mess, but Philly can move towards a resolution before the former MVP really wreaks havoc.
After all, Shelburne's warning is not a mere gut reaction. There is history attached to it. People know how ugly things got with the Houston Rockets. James Harden could truly just be scratching the surface of the drama and distress he can stir up in the 76ers front office.
The most concerning part of the whole conflict is that the 33-year-old has clearly drawn the battle lines and put a giant bullseye on the back of the enemy. The team may now be forced to take sides between Harden and Morey, which is an absolutely nightmare scenario for ownership.
PJ Tucker has unsurprisingly voiced his support for his longtime friend and teammate, while Joel Embiid has made vague and potentially unrelated modifications to his Twitter account. Trouble is at the door of the Wells Fargo Center.
Whatever transpired between player and management to reach this unsettling predicament, the Sixers must now fully engage in damage control mode. By no means can this ominous prediction come true.