James Harden has taken his war with the 76ers to the next level.
After requesting a trade many times over, Harden, who planned to make things “uncomfortable” with Philadelphia until he is traded, no-showed practice on Thursday [AEDT], The Athletic reports.
He has not been present with the team since Monday, according to the report, and it is unclear “when and if” he will return to the team as he awaits a trade.
Harden is in Houston on Thursday rather than Philadelphia for team practice, Yahoo Sports reports.
“This is an escalation in tactics,” warned ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne on ‘NBA Today’.
“This is, ‘I am not happy’ and this is, as somebody close to him told me, only the beginning of what he plans to do here.”
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Harden spent nine seasons in Houston, where he was tied to the hip with then-Rockets general manager Darryl Morey.
Morey traded for Harden while running the Rockets and again with the 76ers.
But as the drama exploded this offseason, Harden has since called Morey “a liar” and said that he will never play for a team run by him again.
Harden exercised his option this offseason with the 76ers and is looking for a long-term contract that would pay him upwards of $200 million.
He is set to be a free agent after this season but is not interested in waiting that long for a new deal.
He is slated to make $35.6 million this season as part of a discounted contract that he took last season to help the team sign forward PJ Tucker.
Big Ben deep in his bag once again! | 00:39
Two weeks after he exercised his player option, reports suggested that he was “determined” to land in Los Angeles with the Clippers.
The Clippers have been the most prominent team linked to Harden throughout trade talks this offseason, but there’s been “little movement” on talks between them and the Sixers, ESPN reported Thursday.
The Clippers’ hesitation to deal Terance Mann appears to be a roadblock in trade talks, according to multiple reports.
The 76ers open their season against the Bucks on October 26.
This article first appeared on The New York Postand was reproduced with permission.