James Harden has recently found himself in quite the pickle. ‘The Beard’ has made it clear that he has no intention of playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. However, having submitted a trade request, Harden has failed to do his due diligence. Despite wanting out, it would seem no other team in the NBA values Harden as highly as he values himself. His desire to leave Philly has left many flabbergasted, including Hall of Famer, Reggie Miller. Appearing on NBA TV Live, Miller questioned why Harden would want to leave the team that has the reigning MVP, Joel Embiid.
Advertisement
In the midst of his China tour, the 2018 MVP made headlines after calling out Sixers GM, Daryl Morey ‘a liar’. Harden even claimed he would never play for an organization Morey is a part of. This has left many confused. In fact, Bill Simmons is curious about what exactly is going on, considering there were rumors of Harden’s return to the Rockets nine months ago, and now he is upset about not receiving a max contract.
Reggie Miller does not understand why James Harden would want to leave a team led by MVP Joel Embiid
Reggie Miller recently expressed his bewilderment toward the entire James Harden saga. Harden has made known his desire to leave the 76ers, but Miller doesn’t quite understand why. Pointing out, that he has never seen a player want to leave a situation where he gets to play with an MVP, he struggles to imagine how a player like Dwyane Wade would want to leave MVP LeBron James like Harden wants to leave MVP Joel Embiid.
“Joel Embiid was the MVP last year…correct? Think about this! So I had to go back…like Jokic. That would be like Jamal Murray saying, “I don’t want to play with Jokic”. That would be like Kris Middleton saying, “You know what? I don’t want to play with Giannis”. LeBron James when he was in Miami. Do you think Dwyane Wade would have been like, “You know what? Back-to-back MVPs, I got to get out!”. Have you ever heard of someone not wanting to play with an MVP?”
As things stand, the market hasn’t been Harden’s friend. Despite submitting a trade request, very few teams are interested in The Beard. Even though there are teams that could use a playmaker like him, his age plus his deteriorating offensive skill have kept teams away. Clearly, he has overestimated his own value.
That being said, the Los Angeles Clippers did show interest in trading for him. And, Harden was more than ready to join them. However, the package they offered just wasn’t enough to entice Daryl Morey and the Sixers’ front office.
It certainly is an interesting predicament both Harden and the Sixers find themselves in. But, hopefully, they can reach an amicable solution that benefits both of them.
Harden has hinted at the possibility of playing a season in China
Recently, James Harden was in China where he met a ton of fans. While there, Harden clearly felt the love. So much so, that he has now hinted at the possibility of playing in China one day. He pointed out that the love he feels every time he visits is “crazy”, and that he believes they deserve to see him come and play there.
Harden is entering the twilight years of his career and perhaps only has a few more seasons in the NBA left in the tank. So, the chances of seeing him play in China are very high.
