After the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Toronto Raptors on November 2, Joel Embiid was asked by NBA reporters to talk about the James Harden trade.
The Sixers traded Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers and Harden said he was on a “leash” with Philadelphia during his introductory press conference with the Clippers.
Embiid, who is friends with Harden, believes the Sixers allowed Harden to be himself.
“He had to make decisions as far as getting guys open or looking out for himself,” Embiid said about Harden. “I thought he did a pretty good job of getting us into our offense, passing the ball, getting guys open. That’s the reason why he won the assists title last year.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: James Harden, Joel Embiid, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
Embiid, who also noted that some of Harden’s issues may have come with former Sixers head coach Doc Rivers and his staff, wished his former teammate all the best, saying he hoped the two met again in the NBA Finals.
“I’m happy that the situation got resolved and I’m happy for him, it’s all business,” Embiid said about the Harden trade. “I hope he has a chance to succeed and make a lot of money, play good basketball and be able to win. I hope we both make the Finals but he’s on the losing side of it.”
Harden started 58 games for the Sixers last season. He averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists and led the NBA in assists per game for the second time in his career.
In 79 games with the Sixers, Harden averaged 21.0 points and 10.6 assists. The Beard requested a trade due to how president Daryl Morey handled his potential free agency this past offseason.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: James Harden, Joel Embiid, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
The Sixers would like to use the assets they acquired from the Clippers in the Harden trade to trade for another star. It will be interesting to see if that happens.
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