Getty James Harden #1, Philadelphia 76ers
In a January 17 episode of “Run Your Race,” Los Angeles Clippers guard John Wall reflected on his time with the Houston Rockets. While calling his experience with the Rockets “beyond trash,” Wall singled out Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden, who left shortly after Wall was acquired.
“I’m going there, thinking James gonna be there,” Wall said. “But he already wants out. When I landed, I go do my conference s***, he like, ‘Well, I’m on my way to Atlanta for Lil Baby’s birthday,’ The f***? You want to get on a jet? B**** I just got traded here!… He don’t come to training camp, none of that. That news is all toxic.”
John Wall called his tenure with the #Rockets “beyond trash” and wasn’t happy with how James Harden handled it when he arrived in Houston.
The Rockets acquired John Wall for Russell Westbrook on December 2, 2020, then traded Harden to the Brooklyn Nets on January 14, 2021. The two went on to play six games together before Harden was traded.
Wall went on to play 40 games for the Rockets during the 2020-21 season, then sat out the entirety of the 2021-22 season before being waived the following summer.
Kyrie Irving Took Subtle Jab at Harden
During a postgame presser on January 15, Kyrie Irving took a subtle shot at Harden after being asked if the Nets could handle Kevin Durant’s injury differently this season compared to last season.
“Well, I’m consistently in the lineup. That helps. We also don’t have anybody halfway in in the locker room,” Irving said.
Kyrie Irving on why Kevin Durant’s absence could have a different impact this season compared to last year: “Well, I’m consistently in the lineup. That helps. We also don’t have halfway in anybody in the locker room.”
SHOTS FIRED?
While Irving did not directly name Harden while saying that, Harden’s tumultuous tenure with the Nets was extensively covered before the Nets traded him to the Sixers last season. There had been reports of the two not getting along. Joe Vardon of The Athletic detailed what had been going on leading up to Harden’s trade to the Sixers on February 10, 2022.
“The Nets were in Cleveland Jan. 17. In their locker room before the game, Kyrie Irving lit ablaze some sage — a Native American ritual Irving has embraced to cleanse negative energy…Harden, according to sources who were in the room when it happened, was seated in front of his locker, watching Irving, and looked at Kyrie like he had three heads.”
Vardon then explained the mutual contempt each one had for the other as teammates.
“Definitely a weird vibe between them,” one source told Vardon. “You could tell Harden was annoyed, and Kyrie wasn’t feeling James.”
It got to the point where both wanted Harden out.
“Irving was ready for Harden to move on, too. When Irving heard Harden was, in fact, hoping to be traded, a well-placed source says he was eager to see it come to fruition.”
Harden Described as ‘No Longer a Top-10 Player’
In a January 17 The Ringer story, Zach Kram singled out Harden’s decline as a player as an area of concern for the Sixers, going as far as saying that Harden does not rank among the league’s best players anymore.
“But for all the Sixers’ depth, Embiid doesn’t have a true costar to measure up against multistar outfits like the Celtics, Bucks, and Nets. Harden is no longer a top-10 player in the NBA, let alone an MVP candidate,” Kram said.
Kram also went over some of Harden’s issues, primarily that he’s opting for more mid-range shots and less driving to the rim because he can’t finish the way he used to.
“There are still worrisome signs. For instance, Harden is simultaneously taking a career-high rate of his shots in the midrange and a career-low rate at the rim, according to Cleaning the Glass—which is probably not a matter of consciously trying to diversify his shot distribution but rather an indication that he’s having trouble getting to the rim in a situation to score.”