James Harden has been slammed for making demands and then underperforming, with the one-time NBA MVP wanting to seal a trade away from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 33-year-old is still searching for his first NBA ring and is hoping to move to his third franchise in just over two years to do so. The 76ers crashed out in the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs to the Boston Celtics, with Harden scoring just 22 points combined in Games 6 and 7, not turning up when it mattered.
The point guard's relationship with Philadelphia was pushed further past the point of no return after Harden made an astonishing speech against 76ers general manager Daryl Morey, branding him a "liar". Morey has been Harden's general manager for 10 years.
"When Harden decided he was done in Houston, he pouted and got his way," ESPN's Scott Van Pelt slammed. "Then he decided he was done in Brooklyn - same deal. The now nearly 34-year-old for a third time wants to go elsewhere, which requires someone to want him enough to give what Philadelphia deems to be enough."
Van Pelt continued: "The glaring disappearances in massive spots in the playoffs, that's on Harden. And who's lining up to give a pile for that, knowing that if it gets sideways - which it inevitably seems to do - he'll just say that he wants out again."
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However, Harden may be forced to stay in Philadelphia, with ESPN reporting that the 76ers have ended trade talks over the ten-time NBA All-Star, with no traction on a deal materialising with the Clippers. Philadelphia believes it will be a championship contender with Harden and current league MVP Joel Embiid.
"If we don’t get either a very good player or something that we can turn into a very good player then we’re just not going to do it," Morey said last month. "If James were to turn his mind around we would all be thrilled … But at this moment he does prefer to be traded and we’re attempting to honor that.”
Harden has also come under fire from NBA figures such as Tracy McGrady and Shaquille O'Neal, with the latter sharing the former's comments to his Instagram page. "I don't understand for the life of me what James Harden is doing," McGrady said in an interview with GQ. "Why are you trying to get out? That makes zero sense to me. Not only that, but I look at all the teammates he's played with. James has probably played with more Hall of Famers than anybody in the league, and he doesn't have a ring to show for it.
"I don't know what he's looking for. And maybe there's some internal bulls*** that is going on that we don't know about. Because it doesn't make any sense to me to leave the MVP, and the Eastern Conference, where you have a shot to at least play for a championship. It's got to be something deeper than what you know. Get over it, man."
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