James Harden is currently on the Philadelphia 76ers, after getting traded from the Brooklyn Nets. There is no doubt that he wanted a change of scenery, and he has now formed an amazing one-two punch with superstar center Joel Embiid.
Despite the fact that James Harden is now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, many have suggested that the Brooklyn Nets could have made a bigger effort to retain him, rather than trading him.
Kevin Durant, however, disagrees with the notion that the Brooklyn Nets could have done something differently to retain James Harden. He clearly understood James Harden’s perspective, and he pointed out that he was injured and Kyrie Irving wasn’t playing home games. Both of those things were clearly hindrances to James Harden’s pursuit of a championship, and it makes sense that he pursued a different situation.
Kevin Durant suggests there's not much the Nets could have said to keep James Harden in Brooklyn: "You can try to look at it from his perspective: Kai's not playing, and I'm injured. He hasn't won a championship before."
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) March 9, 2022
You can try to look at it from his perspective: Kai’s not playing, and I’m injured. He hasn’t won a championship before.
There is no doubt that James Harden is now in a very good place for him, and many have noted that he and Joel Embiid make up a fantastic duo. Kendrick Perkins even compared them to Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
I said, that they actually had the possibility of being on the verge of being the next Kobe and Shaq. That was the wrong comparison. I’m looking at Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar right now.
Just because of James Harden facilitating. It’s enough that people have to deal with Joel Embiid…When you put those two together… I don’t know who in the hell can stop those two. They have trouble stopping just Embiid… I see the 76ers winning it all.
James Harden is clearly an all-time great shooting guard. The only big thing that is missing from his resume is a championship. Hopefully, he gets one prior to the end of his career.
The Philadelphia 76ers are viewed as contenders, and there’s no question that they have a chance to win it all this season. It remains to be seen if they are able to do so, but their talent level suggests that they are one of the best teams in the league.