Latest NBA rumors suggest James Harden is "determined" to join Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on Clippers

It has been a couple of weeks since James Harden opted-in to his player option with the Philadelphia 76ers and requested a trade, but there is still no significant progress on where the Sixers will move him.

Harden was reportedly upset at the way in which the Philadelphia front office handled his possible free agency and made his dissatisfaction clear to the franchise.

Initially, there was strong optimism he would end up with the LA Clippers since both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were reportedly on board with the idea of Harden joining them in Los Angeles.

As the days passed, rumors began to slow down, and it was unclear where James Harden would play this coming season.

Sam Amick, a senior NBA writer for The Athletic, reported that Harden’s mind hasn’t changed and he is still focused on joining the LA Clippers. This could be great news for the Clippers, who could use Harden's willingness to join the team as a way to put more pressure on the Sixers to agree to a deal.

"Yet despite all that relevant history, and in spite of the fact that Morey may know Harden, and all of his complexities, better than anyone in the NBA, rival executives with whom I spoke at summer league were universally convinced that the Sixers are now attempting to keep Harden.

"Discontent be damned. The sluggish trade talks between the Sixers and Clippers about Harden would seem to support this stance.

"Morey is known to be asking for the kind of return that — as of Tuesday afternoon — left the strong impression that he had no genuine interest in getting a deal done anytime soon. Harden's stance has not changed, a source close to him told The Athletic. He still wants to leave Philadelphia.

"He's still upset with how Morey handled his situation heading into possible free agency last month. And even with the recent revelation that Harden attended the same NBPA party as Sixers co-star Joel Embiid and former Sixers owner Michael Rubin in Vegas, he's still determined to start next season in a Clippers jersey".

Sixers in no rush to send James Harden to the Clippers

While Harden had made it clear he was looking for a max deal this summer, Philadelphia was not willing to offer him such a lucrative deal. Hence, he opted into his player option and requested a trade.

Even though new Sixers coach Nick Nurse and Harden met in Houston in June and the meeting reportedly went well, things haven't changed significantly enough regarding the former MVP's intention to leave the franchise.

At the moment, 76ers president Daryl Morey is in no rush to move Harden and that's obvious from the way he has handled negotiations so far. With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George being untouchable, the Clippers would need to put together a package of multiple high-quality players and draft picks to strike a deal with the Sixers.

Players like Norman Powell and Terance Mann, along with draft picks and expiring contracts, could convince Morey to become more active in trade talks.

Based on current reports it seems clear that the Clippers want James Harden, and "The Beard" wants to join the Clippers, but the Sixers are hoping for a better package than what LA is currently offering.

For the LA Clippers, the lack of competition from other teams could be one of the main reasons why they have yet to meet Philadelphia’s desired package.

Boston Celtics v Philadelphia 76ers - Game Four

What is also clear is that Daryl Morey is in no rush to complete that deal and is more focused on trying to keep James Harden with Philadelphia, despite the latter's desire to join the Clippers.

On that occasion, it wouldn't come as a surprise if it took several weeks before talks between the Clippers and Sixers, or even maybe a third team, progress.

James Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists last season while shooting 44.1% from the field, 38.5% from beyond the arc and 86.7% from the free-throw line. However, the Sixers failed to reach the Eastern Conference finals for yet another season.