Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett recently expressed his disbelief at the way James Harden was able to procure a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers to the LA Clippers. Harden will be joining an elite offensive cast in LA after a long-drawn-out saga in Philly that saw Daryl Morey accede to his demands despite not getting Terence Mann in return, a Clippers player that the 76ers coveted, according to AP News.
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Harden was instead traded alongside PJ Tucker and Filip Petrusev for four players, multiple picks, and a 2029 pick swap. The move, and the way in which it took place, brought forth a hilarious response from Garnett, who ended up claiming that Harden probably has Michael Jordan as his agent.
Claiming that Harden was the first player he had ever seen in league history getting exactly the trade that he demands, KG revealed that he had initially laughed when he heard Harden wanted to move to the Clippers. During a recent episode of KG Certified. Garnett and Paul Pierce marveled at how the 2018 MVP has been able to get his way with three teams in the last two years or so.
“James Harden has got to be the first [guy] I have ever seen that gets the request he asks for P [talking to Paul Pierce]. It’s amazing…It’s got to be Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan is James Harden’s agent,” KG said, trying to contain his laughter. “He was all, ‘I wanna go to the Clippers,’ and we was like, we laughed,” Garnett added, expressing his disbelief at the whole situation.
Pierce ended up claiming that Harden’s move meant that he was now the face of player empowerment in the NBA. Of course, the trade in and of itself seemed to be the best resolution for all the parties involved. However, it’s really surprising how JH has been able to ply his way through so many failing teams despite being mediocre on the hardwood in the past few seasons.
James Harden’s trade to LA Clippers the best-available scenario for Daryl Morey?
The way in which Harden was firm in his intention to never play for the 76ers again meant that Morey had to find a quick solution before Harden’s market value depreciated any further. While the 76ers did not get the kind of package that they were looking for, they got four crucial pieces in the form of Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, and Marcus Morris.
The Sixers are obviously better off considering Morey was initially trying to retain a star who did not want to play for the 76ers. James Harden’s refusal, and the off-court drama, was followed by the 76ers’ decent 3-1 start to the season. That, along with Harden’s desire to leave, means that Morey simply ended up doing what he had to do. However, Morey could have arguably procured a better deal if he had traded Harden at the beginning of summer.
