James Harden clearly isn’t happy with the Sixers and is doing everything he can try and force a trade but will his antics rub off on Joel Embiid?
Having a disgruntled James Harden in Philadelphia is one thing but having Joel Embiid join him could be a big problem.
Big man Embiid is the heart and soul of the team but some of his actions lately have got fans questioning whether he wants to be at the franchise long term.
It was a small, but Embiid removed the Philadelphia part of his X / Twitter bio this week.
Also last month, he raised eyebrows when he said during an interview, “I just want to win a championship. Whatever it takes. I don’t know where that’s going to be, whether that’s in Philly or anywhere else.”
Anywhere else? Sheesh.
The longer the Harden drama gets dragged out, the worse things could become for Daryl Morey and Embiid, as Hoops Habit’s Cal Durrett points out.
“The longer the fallout lasts, and the more vocal Harden gets, the more he risks turning the Sixers’ other star, MVP Joel Embiid, against the team,” Durrett writes. “…If Harden gets in Embiid’s ear about how Morey can’t be trusted, then that could have huge, negative ramifications for the Sixers, something that they can’t afford to risk.
“Therein lies the problem: if the Sixers suddenly trade Harden to the Clippers, then they probably aren’t going to get as much as they were initially offered, which was below their asking price. If they don’t, then the Harden situation risks becoming a bigger distraction, with Embiid also wanting out, which would be a devastating blow to the franchise.”
Morey and The Beard have a long history of working together but Harden has clearly lost faith in his methods.
An NBA insider believes “this is the only the beginning” of the fiasco between Harden and the 76ers, so stay tuned.