Rival coach shades James Harden amid impasse with Sixers: 'He burns down the house’

With the regular season quickly approaching, we appear to be embarking on familiar territory for Harden, who previously in his career forced his way out of Houston and Brooklyn in tumultuous fashion. 

As one anonymous coach who has worked with Harden in the past told Yaron Weitzman of Fox Sports, "You shove him and he burns down the house."

"When you deal with James, if he feels like you've crossed him, or if he feels slighted in any way, you're done," the coach added. 

It became evident this summer that Harden undoubtedly feels crossed by the Sixers organization, going as far as labeling general manager Daryl Morey a "liar" during an Adidas event in China. 

Harden had an opportunity to test free agency this offseason but instead chose to exercise his $35.6 million option for the 2023-24 season. The move was made with the belief it would allow the two parties to work together to find a trade suitor for Harden. In reality, Harden's decision to opt in shifted the power in Philadelphia's favor, who quickly realized the market for the 34-year-old former MVP wasn't what it once was. 

With a history of continuously seeking greener pastures and a scoring output that has diminished by 13.3 PPG since his final full season with the Rockets, the allure of adding Harden has drastically decreased for potential suitors. 

After not participating in Philadelphia's first practice at Colorado State University, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that Harden is expected to arrive in Colorado as early as Tuesday to join training camp.   

There's a solid chance the situation between Harden and the Sixers gets even uglier pending the 10-time All-Star's arrival. Nevertheless, Philadelphia knows the reigning league leader in assists (10.7) remaining on their roster nets them a better return than a likely trade haul would at this juncture.