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James Harden left the Philadelphia 76ers after the 2022-23 season in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. During his time in Philly, it appeared that he and Joel Embiid developed a strong bond, as the duo was often seen laughing and telling jokes while playing extremely well together. However, Embiid's recent comments about the 35-year-old guard reveal that their relationship has stagnated ever since Harden was traded to Los Angeles.
In an interview with ESPN's Dotun Akintoye, the 76ers' superstar fielded numerous questions as he works his way back from injury. Joel Embiid, who is 31 years old, admitted that Harden has not spoken to him since the trade. The former MVP Award winner claims that it is one of the reasons he doesn't like being a superstar, as other players tend to blame him for things that are outside of his control.
“No one knows this, but even James [Harden] is not talking to me,” said Joel Embiid. “That's the part I don't like about being ‘that guy,' because it puts you in the middle of those situations. Because if you ask James, he probably believes I had something to do with him not being here.
“And I'm just like, ‘I won the scoring title. You won the assists title. We had a pick-and-roll that was unstoppable.' It hurts when you feel like you haven't done anything wrong. When you think you have a relationship like that with somebody … you lose a lot.”
When discussing James Harden, Joel Embiid admits he thinks the 76ers gave up on what the team had a bit too quickly. After Philly suffered a 112-88 Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics in the 2023 playoffs, the front office blew up the roster and shipped Harden to the Clippers. It appears that Embiid would rather have seen the organization tweak the lineup and keep the 11-time All-Star on the roster.
“I kept going back to it, the continuity,” Joel Embiid says. “When you feel like you have something, instead of building up on it, you just start over. And that's been like that every single year.”
With JV Edgecombe coming in as a rookie and Tyrese Maxey agreeing to a five-year deal worth over $203 million, perhaps the seven-time All-Star can flourish with them and rebuild a new chemistry that brings more success. But first, Joel Embiid must get healthy. Luckily, he is expected to be healthy by the start of the 2025-26 season.
