NBA superstar James Harden’s recent public comments directed at 76ers’ President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey, have shocked many, but NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski has unveiled the strategic motive behind Harden’s bold remarks.
The former league MVP called Morey a “liar” for allegedly not fulfilling promises related to his contract extension, vowing never to play for a team that Morey is associated with.
In a recent segment on ESPN’s NBA Today, Adrian Wojnarowski offered insight into Harden’s intentions, suggesting that his comments could be part of a broader strategy to force a trade – a move he’s been desiring and one the Sixers have been unable to facilitate.
“This has been escalating behind the scenes all year. Now it is playing out in public. James Harden’s goal is to make the Sixers so uncomfortable that they just decide that they cannot bring him back to training camp and they do a trade that they don’t really want to do,” explained Wojnarowski.
Wojnarowski highlighted Harden’s potential leverage: creating an environment that puts pressure on reigning MVP Joel Embiid’s commitment to the team. By potentially causing Embiid to become more frustrated with the state of affairs in Philadelphia, Harden could accelerate the timeline for a trade request.
“I think ultimately the leverage for James Harden is to create an environment that Joel Embiid doesn’t want to be a part of,” Woj said. “That’s I think his ability here to get what he wants – a trade – is to simply whether it’s by showing up and this teams not doing well, if it’s creating such an uncomfortable situation that Joel Embiid becomes even more frustrated with the state of affairs in Philadelphia.
“Your clock is always running on an organization with a player of Joel Embiid stature of any star in the league of them asking fora trade, of them not wanting to be a part of it anymore.” Interestingly, Embiid has recently removed all affiliations with the Sixers from his X account.
Harden’s public strategy aims to create a scenario in which the Sixers feel compelled to move him, given the possible discord it could sow within the team. With the current situation escalating, Harden’s calculated approach seeks to unsettle the status quo in Philadelphia, ultimately leading to a potential trade.
