The 2023 off-season was rather interesting, with several major trades shaking the NBA world, including the ones for Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard. However, one player who didn’t get his desired trade is Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden. The Beard has been done with the Philadelphia 76ers for some time now and wants out. But the organization has refused to meet his demands, especially his request to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
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It has been quite the saga, but one that has left many concerned. This includes Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce, who shared his concerns on the KG Certified podcast recently. Speaking to his good friend Kevin Garnett, the Truth suggested that this could be Harden’s last year in the NBA. In fact, he believes that the 2018 MVP could be following the career trajectory of Hall of Famer, Allen Iverson.
Paul Pierce believes this could be James Harden’s last year in the NBA
James Harden is in a pretty sticky situation ahead of the 2023-2024 season. Having publicly slammed Philly’s President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey, it may seem as though Harden’s time with the 76ers is over. On paper, this is exactly what Beard wants. But there are far more strands of narratives in this saga.
This was the topic of conversation on the recent episode of KG Certified. Paul Pierce, who spent 19 seasons in the NBA, feels that Harden has run out of wiggle room to negotiate anything favorable for himself. Highlighting the fact that he has forced his way out of two NBA teams already, the Truth believes Harden has dug himself into a deep hole and rendered himself undesirable to most teams.
Comparing him to Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, Pierce claimed that Harden could see his career follow the same path. Particularly, how both men found themselves out of the league after they made a commotion. Just like the 2018 MVP. Pierce told Garnett:
“This could possibly be James Harden’s last year in the league. I mean think about it. He’s made a lot of money, and this has nothing to do with his game, but we saw this happen with Allen Iverson. We saw this happen with Melo[Carmelo Anthony]!”
As things stand now, only the Clippers are in on the Harden sweepstakes. Pierce and Kevin Garnett tried to figure out which teams could join in, but immediately ruled out a almost every major contender, including the Denver Nuggets.
Pierce pointed out that even young teams may avoid Harden because they wouldn’t want his antics to influence their young stars. At the end of the day, things are not looking good for the 34-year-old, as the only package on the table seems similar to the trade the Lakers made for Pau Gasol back in 2008.
Allen Iverson’s career started to deteriorate after an argument with the 76ers
Similar to James Harden, Allen Iverson also struggled with Philadelphia 76ers’ management. In the 2006-2007 season, Iverson and the Sixers were incapable of seeing eye-to-eye. What followed was the steady deterioration of AI’s career. He went on to play for the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, and the Memphis Grizzlies before returning to the 76ers for a season.
By 2010, his career in the NBA was over, which forced him to pursue basketball in Turkey at the age of 35. Carmelo Anthony also had a similar problem, wherein he refused to come of the bench. Fortunately, after a year out of the league, he returned and accepted his role. Needless to say, this is a situation that Harden would like to avoid. Hopefully, he can figure things out, especially with the new season just around the corner.
