Nets Star James Harden wants to be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that James Harden wants to be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers but won’t formally request it of the Brooklyn Nets.

Apparently, Harden won’t ask for a trade outright because he is afraid of the public backlash of requesting an exit from a second straight team. The danger for the Nets is if they keep Harden on the roster to make a championship run, they risk letting him walk in the summer for nothing. The expectation is a trade between Philly and Brooklyn with Harden would also involve Ben Simmons.

Harden is third on the team in scoring, averaging 22.5 points, eight rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game. His 10.2 assists per game are second only to the Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul. Harden has sat out Brooklyn’s past three games with a hamstring injury, fueling speculation that he’s intentionally shutting himself down.

The Nets have lost nine straight games and sit at eighth in the Eastern Conference.

Over at FanDuel Sportsbook, Brooklyn is +126 on the moneyline and +3 on the spread against the Wizards Thursday night.