Philadelphia 76ers refuse to give in to James Harden trade demands

Harden, a former scoring leader, and 10-time All-Star, picked up his player option for next season before requesting a trade. 

However, the Sixers are yet to find a suitable offer for their star guard. 

Joel Embiid and Harden were expected to form an unstoppable duo that would help the Sixers advance to at least the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001. 

Instead, Philadelphia has lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals each of the last two seasons, including the most recent 4-3 defeat to Boston after leading the series 3-2.

It remains to be seen how committed Harden will be in Philadelphia if he indeed has to play out the season.