Joel Embiid has not requested a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers, but that doesn’t mean two rival teams in particular aren’t monitoring the tense James Harden situation closely.

Harden appears destined to be on the move from Philadelphia after calling Sixers general manager Daryl Morey a “liar” in a recent appearance at a camp in China.

Harden added he would “never be a part of an organisation that he’s part of,” referring to Morey, who was also his longtime GM during his time at Houston.

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The 76ers superstar only doubled down on those claims when speaking to KHOU 11 soon after, seemingly resigned to the fact his relationship with Morey can not be repaired.

“I think so,” Harden said at the time.

The NBA has since launched an inquiry into those comments, with Harden said to have told the league as part of that investigation why he publicly came out and called Morey a “liar”.

A report from The Athletic claims Harden said Morey told him he would be traded “quickly” after opting in for a $35.6 million deal with Philadelphia ahead of the 2023-24 season.

That did not happen though, with the Sixers now reportedly expecting to keep Harden.

Harden, however, is pushing for a trade and it has two NBA teams interested in what that could mean for superstar teammate Joel Embiid.

“Everyone’s circling, waiting,” a league source told Yahoo’s Vince Goodwill.

“The Knicks and Miami are keeping an eye on everything going on.”

That is consistent with reporting from NBA insider Marc Stein, who reported in his latest Substack that the Knicks and Heat “are among teams monitoring the situation”.

“Because they would wish to be at the front of the line if Embiid did ask out,” he added.

Stein though made sure to stress in his report that Embiid has not been asked to be traded and that rival teams are simply keeping tabs on developments just in case that happens.

“If/when that happens is when the Harden situation truly becomes a crisis for Morey and the Sixers,” Stein wrote.

The Los Angeles Clippers were Harden’s preferred trade destination.

According to Stein, the Sixers’ “primary team-building objectives” involve finding ‘another star to fortify their Joel Embiid/Tyrese Maxey core” and “preserving next summer’s pathway to significant salary cap space with whatever they do”.

Stein reported that should the 76ers trade Harden for a “draft-pick heavy package” that is not an indication that they will look to rebuild.

Rather, he reports the plan would be to flip those picks in a deal to land a “top-level player” to put alongside Embiid and Maxey, as per one of those key team-building objectives.

That in itself is also consistent with comments Morey made to 97.5 The Fanatic in July.

“If we don’t get either a very good player or something we can turn into a very good player, then we’re just not going to do [the trade],” Morey said.

“If James were to turn his mind around, we would all be thrilled. You’ve heard [Joel Embiid’s] comments about that. But at this moment, he prefers to be traded, and we are attempting to honour that.”

Morey has twice traded for Harden, most recently last year in a deal with Brooklyn and previously while general manager of the Houston Rockets.

Morey, whose 2019 tweet in support of Hong Kong protesters became a major controversy in China, left the Rockets in 2020 and was quickly hired by the 76ers.

Harden is a three-time NBA scoring champion and 10-time NBA All-Star guard. He led the NBA in assists last season.

The 76ers lost to Boston in last season’s Eastern Conference semi-finals, with Harden going scoreless in the second half of a decisive seventh-game defeat.

It was the sixth consecutive playoff appearance for the 76ers but they have not reached the Eastern Conference final since a 2001 run to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Harden, the 2018 NBA Most Valuable Player, exercised a player contract option in June for next season worth $35.6 million, allowing Philadelphia to sign two veteran free agents — with the understanding Morey would work on a deal to send him to the Clippers.

Morey, however, must now look at keeping reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Embiid happy about the 76ers’ chances to be a title contender.