James Harden is not with the Philadelphia 76ers as they begin their season on Thursday night against the Milwaukee Bucks. Harden’s been in the middle of a lengthy trade saga since the start of the summer, and the Sixers have made abundantly clear that they will not trade him unless their asking price is met. That’s led to weird stuff happening, like team security keeping Harden from joining the team in Milwaukee.
Whether or not the Sixers want Harden to play for them at some point this season remains to be seen. But in the eyes of Charles Barkley, the Harden era in Philadelphia has run its course, as he laid out why the team just cannot bring him back at any point.
“You just can’t take time off because you’re unhappy you ain’t getting traded.”
Chuck on the James Harden and 76ers situation pic.twitter.com/gzAQWiXALT
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 26, 2023
“It’s not tough to figure out: James Harden can’t come back to Philly, them fans ain’t gonna have it,” Barkley said. “The fans ain’t gonna have it. He can’t treat the city of Philadelphia like that and they’re gonna forgive and forget — I said the same thing with Ben Simmons when they were trying, like, ‘We want Ben Simmons back.’ I’m like, they’re not gonna take him back.”
Kenny Smith made it a point to ask what Harden did to the fans in Philadelphia, and Barkley made clear that he disrespected them with his actions.
“When you play for a team, you have an obligation to the fanbase,” Barkley said. “He didn’t show up to work for 10 days. You just can’t take time off because you’re unhappy you ain’t getting traded.”
Barkley made it a point to also call out Sixers executive Daryl Morey, who he believe is asking for far too much for a player that only has one year left on his contract. And he expressed his belief that, if Philly simply moved Harden earlier in the summer, they could have tried to acquire Jrue Holiday from the Portland Trail Blazers.
“Now, there’s nothing they can do,” Barkley said. “They’re probably gonna get a couple bench players for James. But the notion that they’re gonna get a lot for James, who has one year — and this is the third year in a row he’s demanded out. You think some team’s gonna give him a long-term deal? Hell no.”