Nick Nurse reached out to disgruntled Sixers point guard James Harden

Nurse did not speak to Harden about a potential return to the team: "Didn’t get into any of that. I was just making sure he’s OK.”

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse spoke to James Harden, who has not been with the team since Oct. 15.Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer

by Keith Pompey

Published Oct. 23, 2023, 3:25 p.m. ET

As expected, James Harden remains a no-show as the 76ers prepare to start the season.

But that doesn’t mean there’s a lack of communication.

“I did reach out to him the other day … just to text like I would with anybody,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said following Monday’s practice. “See how he’s doing. See if he’s all right. He did text me back.”

Did Nurse get a sense that the disgruntled point guard wants to return and play for the Sixers?

“Didn’t get into any of that,” the coach said. “I was just making sure he’s OK.”

The Sixers open the season against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night at the Fiserv Forum.

Harden was last with the team for an Oct. 15 practice.

The Sixers are saying he is away from the team for a personal matter. However, he is frustrated that the Sixers haven’t progressed in trade talks with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Sixers could also fine Harden for time missed. He could be fined $389,082 for Friday’s preseason game and every regular-season game he misses without permission. He’s also subject to a minimal fine, starting at $2,500, for missing practice.

Since Harden is in the final year of his deal — and cannot negotiate an extension — he could receive more penalties.

According to the collective bargaining agreement, any player who “withholds playing services for more than 30 days after the start of the last season covered by his contract” could be deemed to have violated his contract and forbidden from entering free agency and signing with another team until the team he last played for “expressly agrees otherwise.”