Harden Confirms Sixers Were His First Choice All Along

Ahead of the start of the 2020-2021 NBA season, James Harden requested a trade from the Houston Rockets. At first, the Rockets didn't want to explore the idea of moving on from their MVP-caliber guard.

Eventually, there was a point of no return. Harden's presence as a disgruntled veteran affected the rebuilding Rockets more than it helped them. So, they looked for the best move to make.

As expected, many teams were interested in Harden, but only two had a realistic chance to land him. The Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers were Harden's top suitors all along. According to Shams Charania, the Rockets offered Harden a chance to direct where he was headed. When they did, Harden reportedly chose the Nets.

"It remains unclear whether Fertitta would have been willing to follow through on the Sixers deal if Harden had opted for Philadelphia," Charania wrote. "At the time, sources say, the Rockets also strongly preferred the Nets proposal. ... They feared the personal dynamics relating to their recent history would play a part in the Rockets' final choice, though Rockets officials have denied that was the case. There was a sense of relief from Fertitta, sources say, that Harden had picked the Nets."

Houston moved Harden in January of 2021 to the Brooklyn Nets. While Harden embraced the change and seemed happy to land in a new situation where he had a chance to compete for an NBA title, the honeymoon phase was over quickly for Harden and the Nets.

A little over a year later, Harden practically forced his way out of Brooklyn. Although it seemed the Sixers and the Nets wouldn't make it a done deal in time before the trade deadline, Harden was Philly-bound as the Sixers, and the Nets swapped stars just a couple of hours before the trade market closed for the rest of the season.

On Tuesday, Harden was officially introduced as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. And during his introductory press conference, Harden confirmed that the rumors regarding his interest in joining the Nets over the Sixers were wrong all along.

"Originally, when I was going through everything that I was going through in Houston, Philly was my first choice," said Harden. "It just didn't happen. So, just details, I don't want to really get into the Brooklyn situation. I just knew for a very long time that this is a perfect fit. Obviously, you got a big man, the best big man in the league in Joel (Embiid). Then obviously, the coaching, just from top to bottom in a sense, and I'm just happy and blessed that I'm here. Doc (Rivers) and everybody knows all everybody wants is to win and be the last team standing." 

When asked why he didn't get to Philly in the first place, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey chimed in and jokingly took the blame. Morey was likely joking with the idea that Houston didn't want to be the reason why Harden and Morey reunited in Philadelphia.

While Harden wished he would've been moved to the Sixers last season, Houston prevented it from happening by sending the star guard to the Nets. However, they couldn't prevent Brooklyn from finally shipping Harden to Philly.

"I wish it worked like that [and I had the option to choose]," Harden explained. "But the organization's got to do what's best for their team. You know, present and future. It didn't work like that. I had to go to Brooklyn, which obviously we know could've been something special. But whatever reason it was for that, here I am today."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.