James Harden’s Sixers saga has been entertaining to NBA fans during the dead part of the offseason, and the situation could result in the New York Knicks being “gifted” Joel Embiid. Gifted doesn’t mean Daryl Morey will part with Embiid for cheap, especially if he goes to the Knicks, but the reigning MVP is the kind of star New York has been waiting on.
Harden exercised his $35.6 million option for 2023-24 and was under the assumption he’d be traded “quickly” by Philadelphia (subscription required). Two months have passed, and the frustrated guard is still a Sixer. He’s since called Daryl Morey a “liar” and said he doesn’t think his relationship with the organization is repairable.
Other than saying he wants to win a championship, whether with Philadelphia or another team, Embiid has been rather quiet this offseason. He said shortly after Harden’s trade request he hoped the guard’s mindset could be changed, but it’s been made clear since then Harden has zero intention of playing for the Sixers again.
Training camp will begin in a few weeks, meaning the drama should continue to escalate as tensions rise, especially given Harden’s delusion. On Undisputed, Rachel Nichols said Harden asked out of Philadelphia because he wasn’t the one “leading the show.”
"[James Harden] still thinks of himself as the guy from that Game 1 [vs. Celtics]... He thinks he should be leading the show. The reason why he wanted out of Philadelphia in the first place is that it's the Joel Embiid show right now."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 31, 2023
—Rachel Nicholspic.twitter.com/3wOKuR2aQa
James Harden’s delusion continues to play in the New York Knicks’ favor
At the beginning of 2021, James Harden was traded from Houston to his preferred destination of Brooklyn to play alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. A little over a year later, he requested another trade, and his preferred destination was Philadelphia, and his wish was fulfilled. A year and a half later, Harden requested yet another trade, and the reasoning couldn’t be more hilarious.
Ironically, Harden’s preferred destination this go-round is the Clippers, where he’d be the third option behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Given that duo’s injury history, perhaps Harden is banking on stealing the show when one (or both) players are sidelined.
Harden recently turned 34, and he can still be an asset to an NBA team, but to want to lead the show is a stretch.
He had two games against the Celtics in the second round of the 2023 playoffs, where he scored 40+ points, but in the other five games of the series, he scored a combined 67 points for an average of 13.4 points.
In a pivotal Game 7, when the Sixers had the chance to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001, Harden shot 3-of-11 for nine points in 40 minutes. He recorded five turnovers, more than half of his point total.
Harden might be doing New York a favor by causing a scene in Philadelphia, but he’s doing himself no favors. Better yet, fans can bet Embiid has taken note of what Harden said. If you thought Embiid was petty when Ben Simmons was traded, just wait.