Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons out at least three more weeks with back injury

James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers remain in limbo as no team appears prepared to pay anything close to Daryl Morey’s current asking price. The Sixers are believed to be asking for a lot for Harden because they feel comfortable with the idea of him returning to the team next season.

“His asking price is exorbitant,” said Adrian Wojnarowski of Morey. “Teams are not engaging the Sixers with the kind of asks that Daryl Morey is asking for James Harden. That’s where Daryl Morey always starts in trade talks, really high. Over time, perhaps, you work him back down.

“But like Ben Simmons, there’s hope on the Sixers’ side that eventually, at some point, they can get James Harden on board about being in Philadelphia in the last year of this deal. This opt-in that he did at $35.6 million. Now they may get to training camp and it may look different in Philly. They may have a James Harden who is not as enthusiastic about his return as they are. And then maybe they get more serious about it.

“But right now, I think the Harden talks, like Lillard, are going to linger into the summer.”

The Los Angeles Clippers and Harden are believed to have mutual interest.