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Earlier in the offseason, Nick Nurse was brought in to become the Philadelphia 76ers‘ new head coach though he inherited an unenviable situation.
Nurse came into the job thinking he would be coaching Joel Embiid and James Harden, but the latter has been adamant about wanting to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Harden’s relationship with Philadelphia soured when the two sides couldn’t agree on a lucrative extension, so the star guard opted into the final year of his deal and demanded a trade.
However, the Clippers have been unwilling to meet Daryl Morey’s asking price, so it appears that the 76ers and Harden are stuck with each other to begin the 2023-24 NBA season.
Although it’s an untenable situation, Nurse has been publicly supportive of Harden and his decision up to this point.
Nurse recently revealed that he actually reached out to Harden and that the former MVP responded via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“I did reach out to him the other day … just via text like I would with anybody. See how he’s doing. See if he’s alright. He did text me back,” Nurse said.
#Sixers coach Nick Nurse on reaching out to James Harden: “I did reach out to him the other day … just via text like I would with anybody. See how he’s doing. See if he’s alright. He did text me back.”
On if the exchange gave Nurse a sense that Harden wanted to return? “Didn’t… pic.twitter.com/OxsofMLtTO
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) October 23, 2023
Nurse goes on to say that the two didn’t talk about him potentially returning to the team and that he was just wondering whether or not he’d been doing OK since being away.
Harden seems intent on trying to make things as uncomfortable as possible for the organization until he gets his wish, though Nurse and the players have been moving forward without him.
Philadelphia will need to eventually decide when enough is enough, though this could very well drag well into the regular season.
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