Philadelphia ? Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers appear headed toward a bitter parting.

Iverson is talking about bolting Philly – and the Sixers might finally be ready to show their franchise player the door.

“We’re going to trade him,” Sixers chairman Ed Snider said Friday night.

“At a certain point, you have to come to grips with the fact that it’s not working. He wants out and we’re ready to accommodate him.”

Iverson’s 11-year career in Philadelphia took another tumultuous turn Friday when the former NBA MVP hinted that a trade might be best after the Sixers sent him home and ruled him out of their next two games.

“As hard as it is to admit, a change may be the best thing for everyone,” Iverson said. “I hate admitting that because I love the guys on the team and the city of Philadelphia. I truly wanted to retire a 76er.”

Snider said Iverson has “probably” played his last game with the Sixers, ending a career that placed him with Julius Erving, Charles Barkley and Wilt Chamberlain among the team’s greats.

“I think it’s time for him to move on, for us to move on and find out where everything stands,” Snider said. “I really didn’t see it coming because Allen says all the right things.”

In a surprising turn of events, Iverson was banished by the club and didn’t play in Philadelphia’s 113-98 loss to Washington on Friday night. Team president Billy King said the move was not a suspension and Iverson’s future would be re-evaluated after tonight’s game at Orlando.

King and coach Maurice Cheeks said Iverson was sent home because he did not practice on Thursday and left Wednesday’s blowout loss at Chicago with back spasms. However, the move to bench their captain comes with Iverson’s name swirling in heavy trade rumors.

King would not say before the Sixers’ game against the Wizards if Iverson had asked for a trade or if he was actively trying to trade the four-time NBA scoring champion. Snider confirmed that Iverson did ask this week to be dealt.

“Allen was not able to practice yesterday because of the back and today Mo made a decision not to play him tonight or tomorrow,” King said. “We told him to just take the night off and tomorrow.”

However, Iverson told a different story. Iverson, whose off-court behavior and coaching clashes often overshadowed his gritty, highlight-reel play, released a statement through agent Leon Rose stating that he told the Sixers he was healthy enough to play.

Iverson said he was told not to participate in shootaround and instead watched from the sideline. He joined the Sixers in the huddle, then was told by Cheeks not to come to the Wachovia Center.

“In my entire career, even the doctors haven’t been able to tell me not to play,” Iverson said. “I’ve played through injury and illness. I think everyone knows how much I love being out on the court, competing and winning. That’s why it was so disheartening to be told that I couldn’t play, knowing that I was ready. It hurt even more to be told not to come at all.”

Iverson, second in the league in scoring with 31.2 points per game, left Wednesday night’s 121-94 loss at Chicago in the second half, complaining of the spasms, and did not practice Thursday. The Sixers are 5-13 and have lost six straight and 13 of 15 overall.

“This season has been very frustrating for everyone,” Iverson said. “We’ve lost 12 of 14 games and nothing seems to be working.”