Sixers to hold first training camp under Nick Nurse in Colorado

The Nick Nurse era for the 76ers will begin off site, when the team holds training camp at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. from Oct. 3-6. Before that, the team’s annual media day will be held Oct. 2 at its practice facility in Camden.

The Sixers are expected to enter that week with one of the NBA’s most pressing storylines — the status of James Harden. Harden requested a trade, preferably to the Los Angeles Clippers, in late June while exercising his $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season.

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But when the Sixers became unsatisfied with a limited initial market for Harden, news surfaced in mid-August that they had halted pursuing a deal and expected him to report to camp. Shortly after, Harden blasted president of basketball operations Daryl Morey during a public appearance in China, calling him a “liar” and adding he will “never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.”

The NBA launched an investigation into those comments, fining Harden $100,000 because they “[indicated] that he would not perform the services called for under his player contract unless traded to another team.” But the league also confirmed the comments were because Harden was not traded, and not because of a handshake agreement on a future contract when Harden took a $14 million pay cut in the summer of 2022 in order for the Sixers to sign P.J. Tucker and Danuel House.

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This saga has been quiet since then, though Harden has previously made things uncomfortable when he wants out of a situation. He did not initially report to 2020-21 training camp with the Houston Rockets, instead partying with rapper Lil Baby in Las Vegas and Atlanta (and flouting pre-vaccine COVID-19 protocols) before eventually being traded to the Brooklyn Nets. When he became disgruntled with the Nets during the 2021-22 season, he looked visibly disinterested on the court during games before the blockbuster deadline trade to the Sixers in exchange for Ben Simmons.

Should Harden report to camp and begin the season with the Sixers, they return all five starters, including Joel Embiid, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player and back-to-back league scoring leader, and dynamic guard Tyrese Maxey. The Sixers won 54 games last year, before losing an embarrassing Game 7 to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs. Former coach Doc Rivers was fired two days later.