NBA Rumors: Morey’s Harden hangup, Lakers lineup question, Jokic in on Olympics

NBA Rumors: Daryl Morey wants more from Clippers in James Harden talks

The Los Angeles Clippers "remain engaged" on the James Harden front, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, but no deal has crossed the finish line. With roughly one week until the regular season starts, Harden hasn't appeared in a preseason game for the Philadelphia 76ers and he has only scrimmaged with the team in practice once.

It's clear the 34-year-old's days with the franchise are numbered, but the extent of those days is as unclear as ever. Daryl Morey's stubborn, analytical approach to these situations is well documented and Harden has barely made any noise since returning to the team. One has to imagine Morey feels very little pressure compared to the active Ben Simmons holdout, which lasted until the trade deadline.

A new report from Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports illuminates the precise nature of the holdup for Morey, who is playing hardball with the Clippers despite zero active market for Harden elsewhere in the NBA.

"Morey has been adamant he wants the Clippers to send a second first-round pick, plus a future pick swap and expiring contracts in exchange for Harden, according to league sources. Los Angeles has indicated no desire to part with more than one first-rounder and has little reason to do so, knowing there aren’t other bidders aggressively pursuing Harden’s services. The same goes for the Clippers parting with talented forward Terance Mann, sources said."

Morey wants two first-round picks, a pick swap, and expiring contracts for Harden. The goal is clear — to maintain trade flexibility for future available stars while clearing the books for 2024 free agency, when the Sixers could have enough cap space for two max contracts and/or Tyrese Maxey's inevitable extension.

One can hardly complain about Morey taking the patient approach here. It's completely absurd for Philadelphia to go through this whole charade again, but the Sixers should not offload a top-20 player for pennies on the dollar unless there's a real time crunch. If Harden shows up and plays like he's capable of playing, his trade value will rise naturally. All it takes is another interested party to drive up the Clippers' offer or beat it entirely.

It will take a remarkable amount of patience from the Sixers' fanbase, but there isn't a more patient fanbase in the NBA. The Sixers are a perennial disappointment and a semi-annual clown show, but at least Morey has a strong track record of winning deals.