NBA Rumors: Sixers Cooling Off on Possible James Harden Trade

James Harden to Philly is becoming less likely to happen as the Sixers are off to a solid start.

As Houston Rockets star James Harden remains un-traded after requesting one two months ago, the Philadelphia 76ers continue to be linked to the sharpshooter. It's not much of a surprise considering former Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey is running the show in Philly.

But Morey did clarify that he wants to see the Ben Simmons-Joel Embiid duo play together this season with shooters surrounding them. And without Simmons on the table for a possible trade, Houston isn't going to ship Harden off to the City of Brotherly Love.

A couple of weeks ago, it was reported the Sixers had shown a willingness to trade Simmons for Harden, but Morey shot that claim down within hours of the report getting out to the public. 

Whether Morey was one-hundred percent truthful or not is unclear. Still, recent rumors have indicated the Sixers are cooling off on the idea of getting a trade together for Harden as they're off to a solid start this season.

"Right now, at 3-1 and with Embiid and Simmons playing like this, I would say [the 76ers] are farther away from a Harden trade than they were two weeks ago," said ESPN's Brian Windhorst on Wednesday.

One night after Windhorst's report, the 76ers traveled to Orlando and knocked off the undefeated Magic with a blowout victory moving to 4-1 on the year. Could the Sixers use Harden's high-powered scoring right now? Sure they could. Do they need him to compete, though? Not right now, they don't.

As a team, the Sixers are clicking on both ends of the floor. While James Harden's scoring value is much higher than Simmons', the fourth-year guard plays a critical role as the offensive facilitator and has already looked like a Defensive Player of the Year candidate through five games. 

There's still plenty of basketball left to be played this season, and a lot can change as the season progresses. For the time being, though, the 76ers seem content with what they have and will likely avoid making any personnel changes until closer to the trade deadline this season.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_