Embiid says he hopes ‘Harden’s mindset can be changed’, values their friendship which originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
As it stands, Joel Embiid has only one full season with James Harden.
It is not certain that the race of the duo stops there. As Harden exercised his $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season, he asked the Sixers to explore trades. The 33-year-old is still on the team, however, and Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey certainly isn’t known for rushing into trades he believes yield insufficient value. .
Embiid, who fielded questions at training camp two years ago about Ben Simmons’ toughness, is no longer sure what’s next with Harden.
The two stars were at a party Saturday night in Las Vegas co-hosted by Fanatics and the National Basketball Players Association. Showtime’s Rachel Nichols asked Embiid how he felt learning about Harden’s position.
“Disappointed,” Embiid said. “But again, I also understand that this is business. People make decisions. I’m more thankful for how he handled the whole situation. We’re gonna be boys forever. I want him back, obviously, so we can go out and do what we want, which is to win a championship. So I hope his mindset can change.
“But other than that, I’m so happy to be his friend. We’re close, and we’ve grown since he came here. That’s what excites me. I am delighted to keep this friendship for the rest of our lives.
Embiid led the NBA in scoring for the second straight time (and won MVP) last season, while Harden dished out a league-best 10.7 assists per game. Neither performed well enough to get the Sixers past the second round of the playoffs after the team took a 3-2 lead over the Celtics.
It looks like they’ll remain friends regardless, but we’ll wait to see if the two continue to share the floor.
“We’re only a year away,” Harden said after the Sixers’ Game 7 loss to Boston. “We played against a team that has been together for several years now. They were in the finals last year, so they kind of know what it takes to get back there. It’s only year 1 for us – a full year. It was great.”