Things are about to get very uncomfortable in South Philadelphia.

On Saturday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Philadelphia 76ers have abandoned attempts to trade James Harden and are planning to bring him to training camp:

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

ESPN Sources: The 76ers have ended trade talks on guard James Harden and plan to bring him back to training camp for start of the season. The Sixers had periodic offseason conversations with the Clippers — Harden's desired destination — but no traction on a deal materialized. <a href="">

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

Harden has been emphatic in wanting a trade, so the Sixers are setting up an uncomfortable situation to start camp. Ultimately, Philadelphia wouldn't make a trade that they believed would compromise their title hopes.

Phew boy. Get out the popcorn.

Harden, 33, has twice forced trades in his career, once away from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets, and once away from the Nets to these Sixers. The belief this offseason was that he was trying to get to the Los Angeles Clippers to pair with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

Seeing as the Clippers didn't have any stars they could offer the Sixers in such a deal—and seeing as the Sixers have a short title window while trying to maximize the title window of defending MVP Joel Embiid, so they weren't interested in receiving pennies on the dollar just because Harden wanted to be moved—no deal materialized.

And it's setting up what should be a very awkward showdown to start the 2023-24 season, as NBA Twitter noted:

Tomer Azarly @TomerAzarly

Clippers have enough as is to win, the talent has never been their issue. <br><br>Neither team budged and now Philly will have an awkward situation at camp. Let's see how this plays out. <a href="">

Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA

Considering we have two examples, with two different teams, of what happens when you play James Harden when he doesn't want to be somewhere, I'm not sure this is going to go well for the Sixers.

Dan Devine @YourManDevine

Daryl Morey's Willingness to Get Uncomfortable vs. James Harden's Willingness to Train Rigorously in Las Vegas and Atlanta with Lil Baby. The unstoppable force. The immovable object.

Mike Sielski @MikeSielski

The <a href="">#Sixers</a>' title hopes were compromised the moment Harden requested a trade. Twice already, he has shown that he will mope his way to a new team. What a mess. <a href="">

Tony Jones @Tjonesonthenba

So Daryl Morey basically said if you want James Harden, you actually have to have a James Harden level trade package?

Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 @big_business_

The market told James Harden he does not move the needle <a href="">

Zainab Javed @zrjaved

Every 76ers offseason update is like rolling a boulder up a hill and comically slipping on a banana peel when you're close to the top for eternity <a href="">

Adam Aaronson @SixersAdam

There is no question that a team led by Joel Embiid and James Harden has a pretty high floor — they'll win a lot of regular season games, but there is little evidence so far that they can be true championship contenders. But, again, I don't know an alternative definitely better

🦴 🏝️ @BonesGotBizzy

James Harden with the 76ers this year:<a href="">

Sean Barnard @Sean_Barnard1

There is no situation where James Harden is a high-level contributor on a championship-contending team other than the Sixers and there is little option for the Sixers to improve their title chances by getting an upgrade in a Harden trade<br><br>Feel uncomfortable but is best for both <a href="">

This feels like a no-win situation for both an unhappy Harden and a Sixers team that doesn't want a disgruntled star on its hands, unless one of two things happens:

• Harden decides to give the Sixers one last heartfelt shot in an attempt to win a title before departing in free agency next summer.
• A trade involving another star player somehow materializes. Like, for instance, if Damian Lillard suddenly expressed an interest in playing with Embiid and a third team wanted Harden, it sure would open up the type of door the Sixers are seeking. But that feels like a long shot.

So for now, we may be in for a few months of subtweeting and low-effort highlights that become viral memes and exasperated Embiid expressions and just the general dysfunction that has seemed to haunt the Sixers in their post-Process attempts to be contenders.

Somehow, this organization has just never quite been able to get it right around Embiid. It's almost comical at this point. Even Philly fans—who can turn to the Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia Phillies, both who made their respective championships last season, for more stable and realistic title hopes—seem to be in on the joke at this point.