James Harden‘s future is still shrouded in uncertainty. It all started when he requested to be traded away after signing a $35.6 million player option. When his trade demands went unfulfilled, Harden’s antics took a nasty turn. He went on record to call 76ers president of baseball operations Daryl Morey a ‘liar’ publicly during a promotional event in China. Furthermore, The Beard missed several practice sessions and was away from the team for the entire preseason. Eventually, his actions caught up to him.

Harden’s antagonism seems to have fired back. After the 10-time NBA All-Star reported back to training, he was not allowed to participate in the team’s season opener. Things got even worse when Harden arrived at the airport, but was barred from accompanying the team. Therefore, he will not be featured in the team’s first two road games. In this light, what is the expected starting lineup of the Harden-less 76ers against the Toronto Raptors?

What does the 76ers starting lineup against the Raptors look like?

As a result of constant absences from practice, the Philadelphia 76ers decided that the best course of action was for Harden to stay behind and catch up on practice. The 76ers opened their season on the road with a face-off against the Milwaukee Bucks without James. The Bucks edged out with a narrow 118-117 win.

Ahead of the team’s matchup against the Raptors in Canada, Harden is listed as unavailable on the official injury report.

In Harden’s absence, the sixers are probably going to emulate their season-opening lineup, including Tyrese Maxey, De’Anthony Melton, Tobias Harris, PJ Tucker, and Joel Embiid. While the team proved they could be a title-contesting team even without their superstar player, it was Joel Embiid‘s game that disappointed the fans and analysts.

As a reigning MVP, fans were expecting more action from Embiid. However, it was just the first game, and fans are hopeful he will be back in form soon. Meanwhile, the James Harden saga has taken a turn for the worse. The team had added yet another wrinkle to their already sour relationship by not letting him play the first two games. As a result, they are being looked into for violating the league’s new rules.

The 76ers are under investigation for new policy violation

The NBA has set new rules in place to tackle load management issues. As per the new terms, teams are not allowed to sit one or more players during national TV matches or sideline a player during back-to-back games. There are a few exceptions to this rule, such as injury, illness, serious personal reasons, and unforeseen circumstances.

Read More: In Which NBA Game Is James Harden Planning to Return For the 76ers?

However, since Harden was healthy and willing to participate, it is not looking good for the team. ESPN Insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the 76ers are under investigation for violating the new player participation policy by not allowing Harden to participate in the season opener. They can be fined up to $100,000 if found guilty.

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