The Philadelphia 76ers pulled off both a shocking and huge move when they finally dealt Ben Simmons to a different team while landing another superstar that perfectly fits with his best player. Joel Embiid and co. welcomed James Harden with open arms, showing their excitement to play alongside the former MVP as soon as the trade was announced.
This duo is keen to take the Sixers to the promised land, although things haven’t looked well for them at times. Still, they are ready to compete and see if they can win it all in a stacked Eastern Conference.
Many rumors suggested that Harden was pushing for a trade out of the Brooklyn Nets in the days prior to the 2022 trade deadline. One would have thought that Embiid was aware of everything going on within the organization, but he didn’t learn about his team’s intentions until the last minute.
Talking with Sam Amick of The Athletic, the big man explained that he doesn’t like to get involved in trade discussions or anything, as he doesn’t want to get blamed if things don’t work with new players.
“Honestly, I didn’t know anything was going to happen, really, until it happened. I don’t really like to get in those conversations, because I don’t want to be responsible for, you know, choosing guys and not succeeding. … (But) when it did happen, ultimately, I was like, ‘You know what? That’s James Harden. We know what he’s done in the past.”
“We obviously played against each other, and I always tried to talk trash to him during games when we played against each other. But I didn’t really know him. But from the time that we got him, I can see the excitement. I was just happy, because we had a big hole. And we replaced that hole with James Harden.”
Now things look really good for the Sixers. They finally got rid of Ben Simmons while adding a superstar that will take them to the next level. Joel is aware that they have a long way to go before lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy, but he’s confident that the team can do the job.
Harden has a lot to prove this season after forcing his way out of Houston and Brooklyn. The Sixers have a big shot at the championship, but the competition will be fierce. It’s time to step up or he’ll be heavily criticized.
