James Harden to Clippers WON’T HAPPEN without Joel Embiid’s approval, suggests NBA insider

Last Thursday, James Harden opted into his $35.6 million contract and was looking to be traded. He was initially expected to opt out of his current deal and work with the Sixers on getting a new deal done in order to return to the team. At this point, things don’t seem to be very clear as to where Harden is headed.

The Philadelphia 76ers will obviously be looking at the most advantageous deal that they can get if they were to trade Harden, but their price for the 2018 MVP is extremely high. At the same time, the team isn’t ruling out Harden coming back for another year. As per Bobby Marks from ESPN, it is time for last season’s MVP and ‘The Process’ Joel Embiid to step in and share his inputs on the ongoing trade talks involving the star playmaker and scorer.

I think you have to bring Joel Embiid into the equation where he has to be part of these trade talks as far as his input. If you do a deal with the Clippers... Embiid has to realize that next year is going to be a gap year. You're not competing like Milwaukee, Boston and Miami. This is going to be a step back year, it's a gap year where you're maybe you're fighting to get into the playoffs.

said Bobby Marks

Marks added that there are two options in front of Embiid. The first one is trading Harden away and getting veterans in return who can help them but not for the long term or keeping Harden on the team on an expiring contract similar to a situation they had with Ben Simmons back in 2021, which could lead to a lot of chaos.

The best move for the Sixers at this point would certainly be to bring Harden back and try to compete for one more year with their core intact and a new coach in Nick Nurse on board. Maybe Nurse can unlock something that former coach Doc Rivers couldn’t.

Will Harden ever be the same player he once was on the Houston Rockets?

There was a period between 2016 and 2019 when Harden was a member of the Houston Rockets and would easily drop 30 points on any given night against any team in front of him. During that stretch, he had four 50-point triple-doubles and the first-ever 60-point triple-double in NBA history.

After he got traded to the Brooklyn Nets back in 2021, he saw a major dip in his scoring considering he had fellow all-stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on his team. He became more of a facilitator, and he carried that same role into a Philadelphia 76ers uniform after he was traded to the team in 2022.

Harden would try to get teammates involved, especially Embiid, with whom he ran a deadly pick-and-roll. With Embiid missing multiple games due to injuries, many expected Harden to take up the bulk of the scoring. Unfortunately, Harden struggled big time.

In the second round of the 2022 NBA playoffs, the Sixers were eliminated in 6 games by the Miami Heat, a series where Harden didn’t show up at all and at times refused to shoot the basketball. The Sixers suffered a similar fate in the second round of the 2023 NBA playoffs when they were eliminated 4-3 by the Boston Celtics.

The recipe for success is simple. The Sixers need James Harden to not just make plays, but also call his own number and put the ball in the hoop whenever needed. That’s the James Harden everyone will be looking forward to seeing next season.

In case you missed it:

• “There’s no reasoning with this motherf***” – NBA FEARS Giannis Antetokounmpo, claims Gilbert Arenas
• “You’re just another Durant” – NBA fans SCORN at Damian Lillard for ‘unapologetic’ message during trade rumors

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