The summer of 2023 is yet another offseason headlined by disgruntled players looking to get traded to a new situation. A common face in James Harden is on the market once again but we also have Damian Lillard finally ask out of Portland after a 12-year stint with the underachieving franchise.
Tracy McGrady reacted to the infamous trade requests while speaking to GQ. He sympathized with Dame’s trade request but didn’t take too kindly to Harden.
“The evolution of the NBA. You get hit with some sh*t each and every year. Dame, to me, it was time. But if I’m Portland, I got to do what’s best for our franchise, as well. I’m not gonna give away you, Dame, with you just coming off averaging 32 points. You still got the game. I gotta get someone back that’s All-Star caliber. And I don’t understand for the life of me what James Harden is doing. Why are you trying to get out?”
McGrady further went in on Harden, criticizing him heavily for wanting to leave the reigning regular season MVP for better teammates once again.
“That makes zero sense to me. Not only that, but I look at all the teammates he’s played with. James has probably played with more Hall of Famers than anybody in the league, and he doesn’t have a ring to show for it. I don’t know what he’s looking for. And maybe there’s some internal bullsh*t that is going on that we don’t know about. Because it doesn’t make any sense to me to leave the MVP, and the Eastern Conference, where you have a shot to at least play for a championship. It’s got to be something deeper than what you know. Get over it, man.”
Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 10.7 assists last season and was the league leader in assists. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to help the 76ers make a Conference Finals. The lack of a contract extension offered to Harden means the player will want to secure his future by being moved to a team that will extend him instead of taking a risk on the open market.
James Harden Entering The Kyrie Irving Situation
Harden this season will be in the exact same spot Kyrie Irving was in last summer. He demanded a trade request when he realized the Brooklyn Nets will not give him the long-term extension he wanted. Even with a trade request, the Nets kept Irving on the roster until February when the point guard reiterated his standing trade request and was moved to the Dallas Mavericks. No cap space team made a run after Irving, so he needed to be on a team with his bird rights to secure his financial future. He did exactly that with an extension in Dallas this summer.
The same situation applies to Harden right now. Irving didn’t try and control his destination and hold out for the Nets to send him to the Lakers. Harden is doing that, demanding a trade only to the Clippers. Let’s see if he gets his wish but it won’t be surprising if the 76ers went into the season with Harden as a playing member of the roster.
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