• Stephen A. Smith has heavily criticized James Harden for his constant trade and personal demands on franchises
• Smith claims the 76ers gave him everything he wanted and he still didn’t deliver a championship
• Smith criticized Harden for never winning a championship despite all his demands
James Harden is waiting to see if Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers will finally trade him away after a trade saga that has been running for the last two months. Stephen A. Smith has criticized Harden for constantly demanding trades and making bold personal requests that teams always agree to even though he’s never won a championship.
“James gotta be more accountable. You got everything you wanted. They gave you everything but a pacifier and a bib… It’s not like you’re a champion making these demands. You have no championships to show for any of your efforts.”
With the situation between Morey and Harden becoming personal and the NBA fining Harden for the same, the relationship seems to be tattered.
Morey won’t trade Harden away as easily as Sean Marks and Rafael Stone did, so it’ll be interesting to see how long this saga lasts and if Harden will report to training camp.
Is James Harden A Bad Team Leader?
Stephen A. Smith also brought up Harden repeatedly falling out with former teammates and forcing organizations to make moves. From the trades, including him to the multiple co-stars he has demanded his teams acquire before demanding they trade them away.
“Why would anyone be sympathetic to James Harden with what James Harden has done on three separate occasions? Now he’s doing it a fourth. You got to remember when he was in Houston. I want Dwight Howard, I don’t want Dwight Howard. I want Carmelo, I don’t want Carmelo. I want Chris Paul, I don’t want Chris Paul. I want Russ, I don’t want Russ. And not a single championship to show for these demands.”
Harden has played with some of the best players in the NBA and is still chasing a championship. Outside the Rockets co-stars that Smith mentioned, we have to remember he’s currently teammates with the reigning league MVP and left a situation with both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to make this happen.
If I am constructing a championship team, an ego like Harden may not be worth it on my roster, given he isn’t the MVP-level player he was when he got traded to the Nets and 76ers.
Can James Harden Find A Long-Term Home?
There is genuine concern over how Harden will be perceived in the league after his third trade request in three years. If teams won’t trust his on-court production in the playoffs as well as his locker-room temperament, it’ll be almost impossible for him to get a long-term deal that’s even close to a max contract. It may even lead to a season out of the NBA, similar to what Carmelo Anthony faced in the late 2010s.
Harden is 34 years old and has only one crack at getting another long-term deal next summer. If he comes back to the 76ers, humbles himself, and plays out the year, he may have better options next summer from other teams as well. Right now, it doesn’t look like any team would want to trade valuable assets for Harden, which is why the 76ers ended trade talks.
Providing championship-caliber point guard play alongside an MVP like Joel Embiid may be his best avenue to proving his value in the NBA. If he elects to make it hard and play poorly to force a deal, he may find himself living out his dreams of playing in China prematurely.
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