Harden will opt in with 76ers: 'Philly was my first choice'
Speaking for the first time since joining the Philadelphia 76ers, James Harden says playing in Philly was always his top priority after requesting a trade from the Houston Rockets last season.
"Originally, when I was going through everything I was going through in Houston, Philly was my first choice. It just didn't happen," Harden said, courtesy of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
He added: "I don't really want to get into the Brooklyn situation, I just knew for a very long time this was a perfect fit. Obviously, you got the best big man in the league in Joel (Embiid), and then obviously the coaching. Just from top to bottom, it made sense. I'm just happy and blessed that I'm here."
Harden's tenure in Brooklyn was short-lived after arriving from Houston last January. He wound up only sharing the court with former teammates Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in 16 games in both the regular and postseason, winning just one playoff series as a Net. The Beard now shifts his focus to a new chapter in Philadelphia, where he and MVP candidate Joel Embiid will hope to finally capture that elusive championship.
"Joel's playing the best he ever played. My goal is to come in and help win a championship," Harden said, per the Bucks County Courier Times' Tom Moore.
Contrary to a previous report, Harden apparently missed the window to opt in to his $47.3-million player option for the 2022-23 season following the trade. He says he still plans to, but that "everything happened so fast," according to The Athletic's Rich Hofmann.
Harden won't make his 76ers debut until after the All-Star break as he continues rehabbing a hamstring injury.