Getty James Harden looks to make a move against Damian Lillard.
Damian Lillard is happy he didn’t take the same path as Russell Westbrook or James Harden.
The Portland Trail Blazers star spoke out this week about the tendency of some star players to hop from team to team, saying it’s not the path he wants for his own career. Harden had a winding path that brought him to the Philadelphia 76ers, first engineering his exit from the Houston Rockets and then being traded from the Brooklyn Nets.
Lillard, who has been with the Blazers since they snagged him in the 2012 NBA Draft, believes it’s not always better to flip teams.
Lillard Name-Checks Harden, Westbrook
Lillard is no stranger to trade rumors, with previous reports that he may want out of Portland as the team cycled through years of title contention and rebuilding seasons. But the All-Star guard told ESPN this week that it hasn’t always worked out for players who tried to jump to what they perceived as a better situation with a new team.
“I look at the NBA,” Lillard said. “I just look at how many guys that had a great thing going and then the outside noise creeps in and, even if it’s just a little bit, has some influence on the decision that they make and then nobody lives with those consequences but them. And then it ends up not working out. You look at somebody like Kevin Garnett. He did it, and it worked out. But he’s an outlier.”
Lillard pointed specifically to Westbrook and Harden, who have both been through a series of teams in recent years.
Damian Lillard says the ‘grass isn’t always greener’ when you leave a franchise
“You look at Russell Westbrook. You leave OKC for Houston, then James [Harden] decided he’s leaving, now Russ is traded to D.C., then you get traded from D.C. to the Lakers, now you’re on your fourth…
“But then you look at Russell Westbrook,” Lillard said. “You leave OKC for Houston, then James [Harden] decided he’s leaving, now Russ is traded to D.C., then you get traded from D.C. to the Lakers, now you’re on your fourth team in four years and in your second year on the team, everybody is talking about how they should trade you. Now you’re coming off the bench. This dude is a Hall of Famer, an MVP. It’s an example that the grass isn’t always greener.”
Harden on the Move Again?
While Lillard has been willing to endure the down seasons in Portland, Harden made it clear that he wasn’t interested in going through a rebuild with the Rockets. Speaking to Yahoo Sports reporter Vincent Goodwill in a January interview, Harden said winning a title is his one and only goal.
“I wanted to have the chance to win at the highest level. Once I figured we weren’t gonna be able to do that in Houston, I tried to put myself in a situation to win at the highest level,” Harden told Goodwill. “The ultimate goal for me is a championship.”
There are now rumors that Harden may want to return to the Rockets, who have built a core of promising young players. Harden recently hired his first full-time agent since 2017, a move that comes just months before he has the chance to jump into free agency.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reports that the Houston Rockets believe that a reunion with James Harden is very possible.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Harden could be interested in returning to Houston if he doesn’t sign a new deal with the Sixers, noting that he has maintained close ties to the city.