Joel Embiid on James Harden Trade Rumors: 76ers Would 'Be Happy to Have Him' Return
As the James Harden saga remains unresolved entering training camp, Philadelphia 76ers superstar center and defending MVP, Joel Embiid, said he would welcome the point guard back into the fold were he to have a change of heart.
"If [Harden] were to come back, we'd be happy to have him," Embiid told reporters on Monday.
Over the summer, Harden sought an exit from Philadelphia—presumably hoping to make his way to the Los Angeles Clippers—and when he didn't get it, publicly called the team's president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey, "a liar."
"I will never be a part of an organization that he's a part of," he added. "Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he's a part of."
That caught the attention of the NBA, which investigated Harden and ultimately fined him $100,000. But the point was made—Harden wanted out, and he wasn't going to play nice in an effort to force a move.
Morey and the Sixers, however, haven't rushed into taking a bad deal, and now it remains to be seen whether Harden will return to the team at all until, or if, a deal is struck. And more importantly, whether he'll give any effort at all or mope and become a distraction as he did when he was trying to force a trade away from the Houston Rockets.
In an offseason that has seen Philly's two biggest obstacles in its quest to reach the NBA Finals strike major deals—the Milwaukee Bucks landed Damian Lillard, the Boston Celtics brought aboard Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday—the Sixers' major moves have been signing depth pieces like Pat Beverley, Danny Green, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Mo Bamba.
But despite the drama of the summer, Embiid has made his priorities clear.
"I just want to win," he told reporters Monday. "Whatever puts us in that position...that's all I care about."
And if bringing back Harden gives them the best opportunity to do so—given his age (34), declining play and ball-dominant style of play, it's hard to imagine another team giving Philly the type of trade package that would keep it in the running for a championship—the Sixers seem willing to mend fences with the veteran point guard.
"We hope that [Harden] comes in and plays," Tyrese Maxey told reporters Monday.
The ball is in Harden's court. But given how he's handled previous trade requests, a storm might be brewing in South Philadelphia.
