“That Ben Simmons situation isn’t like mine”: James Harden illustrates the kind of mental stress NBA stars go through after trade requests in response to Ben Simmons comparisons

Akash Murty | 03/10/2021
"Did the Brooklyn Nets just give up on James Harden?": NBA Insider reveals that the Nets are open to discussing a deal, possibly trading the Beard for Ben Simmons

James Harden faced a difficult time while trying to get himself traded from Houston to Brooklyn Nets, but he thinks Ben Simmons is different.

One of the league’s most prolific scorers, James Harden was in a similar trade situation as Ben Simmons is in right now. Both of them are superstars in the league, one established and one trying to reach his ceiling.

Harden gave his all to win a championship for Houston. After getting rocked by the Warriors multiple times in the Western Conference, he wanted to move East to the Brooklyn Nets.

Also Read: “I want to be in Brooklyn for the rest of my career”: James Harden addresses all queries regarding his future with the Nets

Harden thinks his situation with Rockets is not similar to Ben’s

The 9-time All-Star earned his rights to ask for a trade and a favorable destination. He averaged close to 30 points per game in the 2020 playoffs.

After putting in a trade request Harden showed up for training camp, although he was late and wasn’t looking his usual self, the Beard put on his shooting shoes and averaged close to 25 points a game for 8 games amidst the havoc in media and Houston.

But his antics before joining the Rockets training camp had made his move imminent, it was just a matter of time. He finally got to join Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, in January.

Ben Simmons has decided to not show up for training camp; James Harden thinks it’s different from his scenario

Even though Simmons had a pretty different end to the playoffs in 2021 than Harden had, to end the 2020s, he is expecting he has suitors in the market who would trade for him irrespective of his attitude.

Harden while talking about his settling in with the guys in Brooklyn, his leadership, the Kyrie vaccination situation, and talked about Ben Simmons, said he hasn’t focused much on Ben Simmons’ situation with the 76ers,

“I stay out of it. That’s not my situation. Mine was totally different. But hey, I’m here in Brooklyn,”  “It was a little uncomfortable for me just because I don’t like a lot of attention, especially negative or draining energy,”

He explained “I like to be in a good place. I like to smile and have people around me smiling and having good vibes. It was kind of a little uncomfortable for me. But I had to go through it and on the other side, I’m happy to be where I am now. Hopefully, everybody forgot about it. Hopefully, everybody moved on and everybody is great.”

Also read: “Who would pay $200 Million for a player that doesn’t show up?!”: Shaquille O’Neal hits Ben Simmons with a harsh reality check, critiques the way the Aussie star is handling the situation

The situation is pretty different, while Harden had a lot of suitors who wanted him when he had put in a trade request, Simmons doesn’t, and he has shut down any ideas of playing in a Sixers uniform again, which wouldn’t help his case.

Post Edited By: Akash Murty
Ben Simmons Brooklyn Nets Houston Rockets James Harden Philadelphia 76ers

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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