The Philadelphia 76ers faced a serious question this offseason: what to do about James Harden. When the team traded Ben Simmons for the former MVP at last year’s trade deadline, Harden was supposed to be the missing piece that magically lifted the Sixers to the Finals.
But two playoff series’ later (stop me if you’ve heard this one before), the Sixers had their bags packed for an early trip to Cancun. Harden’s lackluster play when the Sixers needed him most stung like a dagger straight to the heart. A dagger many on the outside saw coming from miles away, given Harden’s sketchy postseason history, but hey, it hurt nonetheless.
Fortunately, the Sixers didn’t have to weigh their options of whether to pay or trade Harden’s gargantuan $47 million extension. The former Rocket opted out, allowing the team to sign him to a cheaper deal, which in turn opened up significant cap space for the team to improve. Sounds great, right?
Sort of. Shortly after the ink dried on Harden’s deal, the league opened an official investigation into Harden’s contract and whether the team and player violated the league’s no-tampering rule. While the league has yet to announce any formal findings, the consequences could be severe.
But Harden explained on Monday that the new contract was “the right decision not only for myself, but our organization, giving us a really good chance of putting the right pieces together,” per Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
James Harden says he hasn’t received proper credit for his selflessness after signing a team-friendly deal with the Sixers
“Nope, but guess what? I don’t care”
(via @joevardon)
Harden also opened up to Vardon about how he feels the league perceives him after the contract decision.
Harden: ‘People Don’t Really Know Me’
Since joining the Sixers, Harden has faced accusations that he’s a selfish player. Two seasons ago, he forced his way off the Houston Rockets, unhappy with the team’s future and direction. And last year, Harden took flack for seeming to do the same, though he never formally issued a trade request.
Forcing your way off of two teams in two years? Not the best look. But Harden told Vardon that he doesn’t care about labels like that. When asked if he’s gotten enough praise for signing the team-friendly deal this summer, Harden was candid.
“Nope, but guess what? I don’t care. There’s like a stereotype (of Harden) where people always want to talk. People don’t really know me, so they feel like they can just say anything,” Harden told Vardon.
It’s not the first time during the preseason that Harden has tried correcting the “selfishness” narrative around his name.
Harden: ‘I’m Probably One of the Most Unselfish Players’
Speaking with SiriusXM at the end of September, Harden acknowledged the character attacks swirling around. But the former MVP came to his own defense, arguing that he is, in fact, a legendarily unselfish player.
“I’m probably one of the most unselfish players this league has ever saw,” Harden explained in an interview with SiriusXM on September 29. “And you go into a situation in Brooklyn with KD and Kyrie where they didn’t need me to be a 30-point scorer. So basically a facilitator, finding ways to impact the game. Then being traded here last year, Joel, he should have won MVP but he was playing extremely well so you can’t come in here expecting to average 30 points, so again, finding ways to impact the game.”
Given the near double-digit assists that Harden’s averaged for the better part of the last six years, Harden’s on-court skills make a strong case that he’s unselfish. But it’s hard to deny his team-jumping tendencies, as well.
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Sixers’ James Harden Says He Made ‘Right Choice’ Amid League Investigation