It was Thursday night at the Chase Center, five months after he opted to issue his third trade request in the last four seasons and five minutes after his new team, the Los Angeles Clippers, lost on the road to the Golden State Warriors. Harden walked from the visiting locker room to a nearby place to provide post-game food to the players, and was reflecting on the chaos of his departure from Philadelphia when he interrupted himself to announce his latest selection.
"I'm trying to find something to eat," he said, and walked to the team bus, "but it doesn't look good." ”
If it could be said differently about this buffet, or if it was as easy as playing for them, it might be easier to join the Clippers.
After Harden finally got his wish to join the Clippers team that has Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook, a team that has four future Hall of Famers, all from the Los Angeles area, everything has become so challenging as the team needs to maximize all of these outside player talents, as many have done.
Just like the veteran striker Pj."On this team, there's not really enough ball distribution," Tucker said. ”
They lost all five of Harden's first five games before winning five of their next eight games. The low point came last Monday when they lost to the Denver Nuggets without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. The climax may have been last Saturday, when Paul George's game-winning 3-pointer in the rematch at home against the Warriors brought them back from 22-point deficit.
With four months left in the regular season, they still have plenty of time to make things go smoothly. But as Harden is well aware, they face considerable pressure due to the outlook for the offseason. Not only are all four stars likely to become free agents this summer, but the Clippers – led by Steve Ballmer, who has the richest man in the NBA – are planning to open a new $2 billion arena in Inglewood, California, next season!
As for Harden, he's still trying to sort out his current situation while dealing with his past. His relationship with Philadelphia 76ers general manager Daryl Mox was one of the most unique relationships between a star and a team executive in the league's history, but it all fell apart last summer just as free agency was on the horizon. His reasons for leaving Houston and Brooklyn vary, but in the case of the 76ers, it all had to do with Harden's continued belief in a broken promise: He said Morey insisted he would give him the maximum contract. When it became less obvious in late June, he was forced to leave the team (again) by opting to enforce the final year of his contract.
Harden, a 34-year-old former MVP who has been widely criticized and blamed for the way he handled himself over the past few years, spoke at length with The Athletic.
People have poured dirt on my reputation, but good people always win," he said with a laugh.
This interview has been lightly edited for brevity.
So, what are your general thoughts on this (Clippers) team? What do you like? What don't you like? What's the atmosphere like?
It's hard to say overall, but I think it's just a really good opportunity for me to win games, to have my family around me, to have a chance to pursue what I want to achieve in basketball.
When you decided to end up in Philadelphia, did you always think about the Clippers or did you have other ideas? What is your thought process like?
It's trying to get into a place where I can give me a big contract and at the same time have a chance to win at the highest level. I've made a lot of sacrifices over the years – both in terms of roles and contracts – so at this point, it's all over. I just want to be able to move forward and still have a chance to make some money and still win at the highest level.
So you mentioned the money aspect, and I hope you can clarify some of the situation. Were you really told by the 76ers that the deal was about to close?
One of the biggest contracts?
Yes.
Yes. Did Mo X say it?
Yes. Yes.
So when did you start discovering that this wasn't going to happen? I've heard that he stopped communicating with you over the summer, and you take that as a sign that things have changed.
Yes, I have a very good relationship with Daryl. So in the last few seasons, after we've lost a week or two in the playoffs, it's all about how to improve the team. We'll talk about "how can we get better?" "It's been going on for over 10 years, you know? Then this year, there was no communication. That's when I understood, "Well, I know what's going on. "I'm very smart. So I just figured out "what's next, what do I want to do?" "So, I understand, at the end of the day it's a business. Just like he has to make the best decision for his team, I have to make the best decision for me and my family. It's that simple.
But you choose to execute the contract instead of going into the free agency as a free agent and end up getting a contract that you are happy with and going where you want to go. I think you have a good understanding of the market and know that if you choose that path, the financial situation will be very different, right?
It will definitely be different. There will be money for teams that are growing or young, but it doesn't make sense. And those teams that are competitive have no money. Overall, it could end up causing me to face Philadelphia again. So it's strategic, people can talk about it and say (something), but if it's not (in) the situation, they don't know. Like I've always said, I made the best decision for myself and my family.
But did you feel anxious during that time?
No, I didn't feel anxious. It was just patience because the day I chose to exercise my contract, there was a conversation with the 76ers. Told it would happen in 10 days and then delayed for four and a half months or how long. So at that time, you put my life in trouble and put other people's lives in trouble. You make things seem much crazier than they really are. Some of the conversations that we have internally are basically procrastination, so it's a little frustrating.
Overall, all the sacrifices I made to go to Philadelphia with some people I trusted were self-defeating, you know? So it's part of life and we've all been through something, so that makes me stronger.
As our Shams Charania reported in mid-August, Harden told NBA investigators that the reason he called Mo X a "liar" multiple times was due to an unexpected delay after he made a trade request. This happened on August 14 in China, an Adidas shoe event. As for the sacrifice he was talking about, that happened in the summer of 2022.
Five months after being traded from the Nets to the 76ers, Harden opted to turn down his $47 million player option for the 2022-23 season and signed a two-year contract with the 76ers (with a player option for the second year) with a starting salary of $33 million. As previously reported, the motivation is to help Philadelphia improve the roster by providing financial flexibility.
The NBA investigated amid widespread speculation across the league that there might be a swap arrangement between Harden and the 76ers regarding his next contract. Ultimately, the league found no wrongdoing between Harden and the 76ers. It did, however, establish that Philadelphia had entered into early contract talks with Tucker and Daniel House, and subsequently, the team was sent out second-round picks in 2023 and 2024. As I've previously reported, Morey believes that this punishment — and the league's insistence on not letting the 76ers negotiate with free agents early — is why he didn't communicate with Harden about his free agent status after the playoffs.
To clarify, you are giving up that money before you can get P.J. Tucker and.
...D'Antoni Melton. Daniel House.
But timing-wise, when did Daryl tell you you're going to get the max contract?
Well, the important time is before the start of the playoffs (last season). He had a conversation with my agent.
When asked about Harden's claim, a 76ers *** denied the claim.
I hope you can talk about another episode. We all know that going back to Houston is a pretty big possibility for you if you're listed on the free market, but then they decided not to. There are reports that you tell them you want to be the scoring champion again, to be the guy who plays Rocket-style basketball again, and that's what made them change their minds. Is this true?
Which team's players in this area are in **? I've been trying to achieve what to write (in terms of possession) for the last three or four years?
Harden's point is that he hasn't averaged 30+ points per game since winning his third consecutive scoring title in 2019-20, but has averaged at least 10 assists over the past three seasons (including a league-high 10 last season.)7）。
You can answer for yourself. Now that the meeting is over, those conversations about the style of play, and the way I've been playing things like that [happened]. But the idea (of) averaging more than 30 points per game – who wants to do that?
Who is in the meeting?
Representative, (Rockets) head coach (Ime Udoka). That's it.
In basketball, for this team, I know it's a little bit difficult right now, but are you already seeing some clues?
We have highlights. We definitely had the highlights.
Since Harden's Clippers debut against the Knicks on Nov. 6, his performances have been mixed. During that time, he was the team's leader in assists (6. per game4 times), but third in scoring (15. per game7 points), trailing only Leonard (216 points) and George (214 points), tied with Westbrook for third (10. per game).4 times), compared to Leonard's 186 times, George was 166 times.
The Clippers have a 6-3 record since Westbrook began coming off the bench on Nov. 17. During that time, Harden averaged 16 per game1 point, 77 assists and 4With 4 rebounds, he is the player with the highest plus/minus value on the team, with a plus/minus value of plus 68. Leonard was second with 67, while George was third with 51. Westbrook, meanwhile, was the worst on the team at minus 41.
It's hard to get four defenders, man. Tyronn Lue has been emphasizing that all of these superteams have a big man who will die – kg and the Celtics, Chris Bosh and Miami, Kevin Love and Cleveland. Usually two strikers and one big man. So, how do you do that?
We showed good signs, and then we had some [intervals] and it was like, 'Damn, if this had happened, we should have won.'" But we've got the whole season. Obviously, as we figure it out, we want to win games, but we'll see what this team looks like when it comes to the playoffs. This is the most important thing.
Will you change the way you leave Philadelphia?
No, that's not my decision (laughs). So at that point, you put me in a situation where I had to sit down, investigate what was going on, and then make the best decision that would be good for me and my family. Like I just told you, I sacrificed my money to come to Philadelphia in the hope of retiring there. So when you guys give me a curveball, now I have to take a step back – I'm not just a radical guy and don't do anything casually. I'm strategic. I think before I react. A lot of people don't know me, and that's okay for me.
People don't understand you, James. You know that.
They don't know me at all, and I'm happy with that. So with so many stories, you'll never hear me hit back (people) on social. Eventually, it will come to a conclusion.
In Houston, I've been with you and him through all these years, and let's be honest: it's still crazy for me that your relationship ended like this. You may have the most unique player-management relationship ever.
Ever. Yes, perhaps the most unique ever.
Yes. It surprised me a lot, you know?I see it as a marriage. We've talked a lot about things. We have a lot of things that you don't know or understand to people. But he (Mox) talks to me (about free agents) or says, 'Okay, James, we don't want to give you this, but we have this.' And then we go back and forth, and it's a conversation. But you're indifferent to me?Well, you don't respect me as much as I thought. You don't need someone like that, you know?So it's just a bad karma. People keep throwing dirty water at me, but the good guys always win.
Can you assume that you haven't been in touch yet?
There was too much money, too much respect (loss) and loyalty to me and would not look back (contact with Morey). There's nothing to talk about, there's nothing to talk about. This is real gold**.