James Harden: Keeping player empowerment alive
The term “player empowerment” that is often bandied about in NBA circles has always been somewhat of a misnomer.
Yes, some players have successfully engineered moves to their desired locations: Kevin Durant always seems to find his way to his preferred destinations; Paul George and Kawhi Leonard made it home albeit via brief stopovers elsewhere; Anthony Davis successfully lobbied his way to Los Angeles to be LeBron James ’ sidekick; frankly, LeBron has practically mastered the art of Player Empowerment.
What do you notice about all of those names? Why, you’re absolutely right! They’re all superstars!
By contrast, let’s take a look at some other seismic trades that have happened in the past few years. Jrue Holiday has been moved three times without really having much of a say in it; Chris Paul had no idea he would be leaving the Suns, let alone becoming a Warrior; Russell Westbrook has been passed around the league like a puppy at a primary school; when Danny Ainge’s trigger finger got itchy, he moved Rudy Gobert – a man who had no desire to leave Utah – and Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell wanted New York … he got Cleveland. Now, what’s similar about all of those players? They’re stars, each and all, yet not quite in the tippety-top echelon of NBA stardom. Even Damian Lillard’s mega-trade to Milwaukee ran counter to his ( and his agent’s ) very public campaigning for Miami.
So is it fair to call this era the Player Empowerment? Perhaps it is more pertinent to label it the era of Superstar Player Empowerment.
Yet, there is one man, a man who changed the way basketball is played and the way basketball is officiated, a one-time force of nature, who is keeping the Player Empowerment myth alive: James Edward Harden Jr.
Harden’s trade to the Clippers 48 hours ago marks the 3rd occasion in three years that “The Beard” has successfully self-engineered a move to the exact ball club of his choosing. In January of 2021, Harden’s lethargic play and general petulance forced the hand of incoming Houston general manager Rafael Stone, who moved his franchise player in a four-team mega trade that landed the Rockets so many of the draft picks that they’d lost in unsuccessfully chasing a title.
At this point, Harden was still smack bang in the middle of his formidable prime. The Rockets had parted with Coach Mike D’Antoni and Harden’s one-time basketball soulmate, Daryl Morey. The team was about to embark on a major rebuild.
Harden wanted to move on and, rightly or wrongly, felt that this was the best way to force a move. The fact that he got to Brooklyn, one of his two apparent preferred destinations (the other being Philadelphia) was a prime example of Superstar Player Empowerment.
After gutting his way through a series against the Bucks where injuries to him and Irving, as well as the size of Durant’s shoe, robbed the Nets of a likely Finals berth, things started to go awry in Brooklyn. The team seemed to start tuning out Coach Steve Nash. There were further injuries to both Durant and Harden. When Kyrie decided that he was going to go the full Tin Foil Hat route (and no, we’re not linking to any of his bullshit, here), it became the death knell of what could have been an historically great team.
Harden’s method of making sure he got out of town? Lethargic play, sporadic appearances at the team facility and generally moping around the place like a 15-year-old emo kid. Despite Harden now clearly being a B+ version of his best self, he was again able to force his way to the team of his choosing and into the loving arms of an old flame.
Per Daryl Morey’s Instagram story, James Harden has arrived #Sixers pic.twitter.com/0T8nn18vF2
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) February 12, 2022
So many fans, pundits and analysts wondered how the famously heliocentric Harden would fare with a ball-needy centre in Joel Embiid. Harden reacted by leaning into an always underrated part of his game: playmaking.
Harden proved to be a savant in the pick-and-roll game with Embiid, something that I discussed at length in an edition The Point, last season. This being the Sixers, though, the magic was always going to fade come playoff time. Embiid once again got injured and Harden mixed the sublime with the ridiculous,
That said, Harden was expecting to see out his late prime in Philadelphia. That was until Morey apparently lied to Harden about….something or other….nobody seems to be entirely certain what it is that Morey has said and later reneged on, though most theorise that there was some sort of miscommunication around Harden receiving an extension from the Sixers this offseason.
No matter the cause, the result was a four-month stand-off between a player and an executive who are both very comfortable being uncomfortable.
It appears as though Sixers ownership wasn’t as comfortable with the situation, reportedly forcing Morey to get on the phones and move Harden to the Clippers or elsewhere. As it stands, Philly received a reasonable haul for its disgruntled and fading star, including picks and players who should fit in around Embiid and emerging star Tyrese Maxey. Harden certainly adds to the brand recognition of the Clippers, though the basketball fit looks dicey.
Ultimately, though, James Harden showed that even as an aging and diminished force, he could still get what he wanted. He’s an L.A. boy who wanted to go home and he got his wish. Harden isn’t a superstar anymore, but he still wields the power of one.
With the newly-minted CBA shortening contracts yet making free agency less appealing, pre-agency is going to become the norm. Superstars will get their way; history has told us that. Harden is providing some hope that the proletariat can also have their cake and eat it too.
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