Buckle Up Folks Because The Return Of Fat Suit James Harden Now Seems Inevitable

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The other day Daryl Morey came out and told the world his asking price for James Harden. You'll never believe this, but he wants a very good player or something that could turn into a very good player. That sounds great in theory, but in reality it's going to be pretty tricky given the fact that Harden is only interested in joining the Clippers. It's not his problem to figure out how to get him to LA, but it sure as hell hurts his potential value on the market.

The big question is what would Harden do if he didn't get what he wants this summer? Would he go the Ben Simmons route and sit out and refuse to show up to camp/games? Or, would he go the James Harden route and just get super fat, show up to camp, but completely mail everything in until the Sixers ultimately break and trade him?

According to Jake Fischer, we have our answer

Let’s be clear: No matter the Sixers’ wishes, Harden still intends to play for the Clippers during the 2022-23 season, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Since the beginning of this subplot, Harden and his representation opted in to pinpoint Los Angeles as his next destination and have maintained a confidence he will ultimately join the Clippers. There has been no substantial trade conversation for Philadelphia regarding Harden and any other team, sources said, as rival front offices have been briefed on Harden’s unwavering focus on the Clippers and the Clippers alone. The 76ers have held talks with other teams and have established their high asking price for the league's assist leader. 

Harden is a future Hall of Famer, a Top 75 player of all time with scoring titles and an MVP of his own. He is also well practiced — from the end of Harden’s tenure in Houston, as well as Brooklyn — in conduct that can drive a team toward relenting and finally moving on from the talented guard. If this saga does drag out through September and until Media Day on Oct. 2, Harden is expected at this point to report to training camp, according to league sources. You can cause far more headaches for the organization you’re trying to leave by showing up, as opposed to staying home. With both the Rockets and Nets, Harden made various trips away from the team for various nightlife activities. He made Brooklyn feel it had no other option but to trade him to the Sixers before the 2022 trade deadline, or risk losing him for nothing. With Philadelphia, Harden’s side is very much of the belief joining the Clippers is not a matter of if, but when.

You know what that means right? Bring on the fat suit!

Few things were as remarkable as the body transformation Harden went under when he demanded out of Houston compared to how he looked immediately after landing with the Nets where he magically got back into shape. It took a little while in Houston, but he eventually got what he wanted when he was traded in January 2021.

The thing is, when it comes to Harden you have to worry about more than just his body and being in shape as soon as he gets unhappy. If you keep him on the roster after he demands a trade, he'll just flat out quit playing. Remember his effort right before the 2022 trade deadline in that game against the Kings? 

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That performance came on February 2nd. Harden was traded to the Sixers on February 10th.

While Harden's situation is a little different from Dame's given their contract situations, the one thing that remains true for both guys is if they wanted to leave and join one team and one team only, nobody forced them to sign their extensions/pick up their options. If James Harden was hell-bent on becoming a Clipper, he could have turned down his player option this summer and signed for whatever space the Clippers had. Instead, he made sure to secure his $35M and decided to just demand his way there anyway. He, much like Dame wanting his supermax, want to eat their cake and have it too. For Harden, that might actually mean eating a shit ton of cake until he gets what he wants. 

I guess you could try and spin that Harden was doing PHI a favor because now at least they get something for Harden as opposed to losing him for nothing, but like Dame he does not have a no trade clause. There is no rule that says Daryl Morey has to send him where he wants, and since that relationship seems fractured, there's no reason why he shouldn't just take the best possible offer. Unfortunately, nobody wants an old expensive James Harden for Morey's price. 

All I know is we're in for some very entertaining drama surrounding this whole thing, especially if Harden is actually going to report to camp. Few players in the league know how to quit on an organization like Harden as a means to get what he wants, and it's only a matter of time before we hear about how he skipped practice to go to Vegas and he ultimately shows up extremely out of shape. 

It seems like he's pretty dug in on this whole trade demand thing, so I say let the chaos begin.