Sixers News: James Harden Misses Practice on Wednesday

James Harden was not present at the Sixers' first practice since Monday's game, according to a report.

The Philadelphia 76ers returned to practice on Wednesday morning following their preseason victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.

However, James Harden was not with the team.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Harden was a no-show at the team’s first practice back from the trip and hasn’t been present with the team since their Sunday morning practice over the weekend. Per Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, Harden is in Houston instead of Camden. 

Wednesday's practice marks the first time Harden has missed a session since he arrived in Colorado for day two of training camp.

When the Sixers faced the Nets on Monday night, Harden was not expected to participate in the game. Instead, he eyed a return to the court for Friday’s preseason finale against the Atlanta Hawks.

“I think there’s one more preseason game after that, so I’ll ramp it up and try to play the last one just to get in game situations and used to the physicality of defenders bumping you and whatnot and the speed and tempo and all that good stuff so I think we got a good plan in place,” Harden told reporters last week.

Harden did not travel with the team for their matchup in Brooklyn. Although the Sixers dropped their first two preseason outings, the team found success for the first time this preseason by picking up a 127-119 victory over the Nets.

With Harden’s unexpected absence taking place on Wednesday, his status for Friday’s game against the Hawks is now in question.

Ever since picking up his player option with the Sixers for the 2023-2024 season, Harden has desired a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers. While the Sixers have discussed deals with Los Angeles, both parties couldn’t come to an agreement before training camp.

Lately, there’s been a lot of discussion surrounding the Sixers and the Clippers’ talks, and every update has a similar theme: the Sixers and the Clippers are not close to striking a deal.

While Harden mentioned he would play with the Sixers despite the trade request, his absence from the team over the last few days certainly confuses the situation. 

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