CAMDEN, N.J. — No. 1 was the one Sixer absent from the team’s practice Wednesday.
James Harden missed practice, which Sixers head coach Nick Nurse admitted was surprising to him.
“Yeah. From the last discussions that I had with him and from everybody, yeah, it was a little bit (surprising),” Nurse said.
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According to Nurse, all other Sixers participated in Wednesday’s session. That included Tyrese Maxey, who left a preseason win Monday over the Nets with back spasms, and Joel Embiid, who was scratched from that game because he was “under the weather,” per Nurse.
Embiid said Wednesday he’s doing better and plans to play in the Sixers’ preseason finale Friday vs. the Hawks.
“Yeah, I’m good,” he said. “That’s the goal. I was supposed to play last game, but some things happened and I couldn’t play. But I’m good. That’s the plan for now. Hopefully, come Friday, I’ll be ready to go.”
Embiid indicated he had no insight on why Harden didn’t practice.
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“I didn’t know if anything was going on, because he’s been here,” Embiid said. “Obviously he wasn’t here today, so I think he probably had something important to do or something came up. But guys know what it is.
“I’ve always went on the floor and led by example, just by playing hard and also pushing myself and pushing them. And that’s what we did today. We played together, we competed, we pushed each other, and my team won a lot. That was good.”
As the Sixers collectively stressed at their media day, Embiid emphasized controlling what he can.
“I know nothing,” he said. “But last I heard or last I saw was that he was going to play in the last (preseason) game — he was hoping to play in the last game. So that’s what I saw. Like I always say, I try to stay away from these conversations.
“I’m just focused on trying to get better. I’ve got myself to kind of worry about. I just want to get better, so that’s what I’m focused on.”
Indeed, when Harden talked to reporters Friday, he’d targeted that final exhibition game. Harden also spoke about his loss of trust in Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and reiterated that his relationship with the team’s front office cannot be repaired.
Despite his unfulfilled trade request, Harden returned to the Sixers on Day 2 of training camp and participated in practices.
Harden put shots up alongside teammates ahead of Saturday’s Blue-White scrimmage in Wilmington, Delaware. He was not introduced to the fans in attendance and, like fellow veteran players such as Danny Green, Patrick Beverley and PJ Tucker, didn’t play. The Sixers practiced in the morning before the public scrimmage, Nurse noted.
On Sunday, Harden worked out after the Sixers’ practice with assistant coach Rico Hines.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey reported Harden has been in Houston since traveling there following Sunday’s practice. He was not with the Sixers on Monday in Brooklyn and the team had an off day Tuesday.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that a “sizable gap remains” in negotiations between the Sixers and Clippers on a Harden trade.
After a brief period of relative stability, the Sixers are again left wondering what’s next with Harden. Nurse said he expects the 34-year-old will play Friday “going on what he said the last time we talked to him.”
“Listen, I stay with if he’s here, we go, and if he’s not here, we go,” Nurse said. “We’ve got work to do. Again, it was a good, long, kind of a grinder day. … Good effort by the guys, good focus, good spirit.
“That’s my answer, man. If he’s here, we go. If he’s not here, we go.”