James Harden has expressed his desire to leave the Philadelphia 76ers, citing a disagreement with general manager Daryl Morey.
However, former ESPN NBA Today host Rachel Nichols, now with Fox Sports, believes that Harden’s desire to leave is actually due to his role on the team and his perception of himself.
Nichols appeared on “Undisputed” and suggested that Harden wants to leave because he feels overshadowed by Joel Embiid, the current focus of the team.
She points out that Harden is no longer the player he once was and needs to acknowledge that in order to continue having success in the NBA.
“I don’t think it’s a trust issue for James Harden. At least, not for me, personally,” she began. “It’s the fact that he is 34. He’s not the player that he used to be. And if he can acknowledge that, I think he will continue to have success in the NBA for a while.
“Key(shawn Johnson) is right. Guys want to play with him when he is motivated, when he is into it. And the fact that, yes, as (Bayless) point out, in games six and seven of that series against Boston, it’s not just that he combined for 22 points over two games. He had 10 turnovers.
“But he still things of himself as the guy from that game one. Or the guy from that game four. He thinks he should be leading the show,” she continued. “The reason why he wanted out of Philadelphia in the first place is that it’s the Joel Embiid show right now. And he wants a different role.”
"He still thinks of himself as the guy from that Game 1 [vs. the Celtics]… he thinks he should be leading the show. The reason why he wanted out of Philadelphia in the first place is that it's the Joel Embiid show right now."
—@Rachel__Nicholspic.twitter.com/3wOKuR2aQa
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 31, 2023
Nichols also mentions that Harden’s absence from the NBA All-Star Game for the first time in over a decade may have contributed to his decision to leave, as he was seen as a supporting player to Embiid, who won the league’s MVP award.
Overall, it seems evident that Harden will not be playing for the Sixers moving forward.
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