Revisiting Danny Green’s Comments About James Harden, 76ers

Typically, when an NBA player signs with a new team, his thoughts aren’t made public about the new destination until a press conference takes place. For the three-time NBA Champion Danny Green, he’s made his thoughts about the Philadelphia 76ers quite known in the weeks and even months leading up to his decision to reunite with the organization.

After landing in Philly during the 2020 offseason, following trades from the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Green quickly became a leader in the Sixers’ locker room. Following his first season in Philadelphia after one-year runs on the Toronto Raptors and the Lakers, Green re-signed with the Sixers on a two-year deal.

Despite being willing to play in Philadelphia for two seasons, Green’s new contract didn’t keep him around throughout the entire duration as he was traded away to the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2022 NBA Draft. Since then, he’s played a handful of games for the Grizzlies and got traded to the Houston Rockets before getting waived and signing on with the Cleveland Cavaliers ahead of the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

When Green returned to Philadelphia for the first time to make his Cleveland debut last season, the veteran sharpshooter issued an assessment of the Sixers. At the time, Green was impressed with the adjustments that Philadelphia’s star duo of James Harden and Joel Embiid made.

“I seen James take more of a facilitating role and figure it out, both of them,” Green said last season. “I know at the end of last year it was a struggle, but [James] is kind of back to himself where he’s able to still score at a very good clip, but he doesn’t feel the need to. He’s able to be a quarterback out there and play pretty freely but, at the same time, make things easy for everybody around him.”

The Sixers were just a couple of months away from competing in the playoffs without Green for the first time since 2020. Following a disappointing exit in 2022, Green was one of a few Sixers veterans to highlight the team’s shortcomings as an attempt to explain why they couldn’t reach a championship level that year.

“I honestly think that if we were a mature team, we don’t have to go to six games with Toronto,” said Green during his exit press conference in 2022. “Obviously, injuries hurt a lot, too. Missing Joel the first two games hurt. Last game, me not being there definitely hurt, but I think if we come in more focused and more mature, we don’t have to have these lapses or wake up call games where we get embarrassed to come in and do our jobs or be more locked into a playoff series.”

Green’s assessment went over well with the Sixers, for the most part, but it didn’t register hard enough to allow the team to find different results in 2023 without him. Although the Sixers took care of business against a weaker opponent in the first round without any of the “mental lapses,” they still dropped the ball in round two against the Boston Celtics.

As a result, Philadelphia fired the head coach Doc Rivers. As the Sixers engaged in a multi-week search to find his replacement, Danny Green suggested the Sixers should consider bringing in former Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams while assuming the Phoenix Suns would go for Nick Nurse.

“I think Monty can coach Joel (Embiid),” Green said on his podcast. “We don’t know what’s gonna happen with James Harden. So I think he’s a good fit and a positive attitude. Teach them how to play the right way, unselfish basketball.”

The Sixers considered Williams, but he eventually ended up with the Detroit Pistons. Meanwhile, Philly zeroed in on Nurse, who signed on to become the next head coach of the team. While Green’s prediction was incorrect, the former Toronto Raptors head coach’s presence in Philadelphia is reportedly one of the reasons why Green is set to return to the Sixers.

Now, the Sixers just need to figure out how to solve the James Harden drama, which is a burning topic that Green most recently touched on during an ESPN segment weeks before reuniting with the team.

“As a player, I’m always gonna side with the player. Not just because I’m a player, but I also don’t think he’s wrong. If he was promised something, I think you need to come through with that promise,” Green said regarding the Harden situation.

“I see the other side of it with Daryl Morey. I understand it’s a business. GMs make a lot of decisions quickly in the heat of the moment, and your mind is going to change, the emotion is gonna change at different times, and maybe his hands are tied to this. Maybe he’s not able to offer James the extension that he wants. So I understand Daryl, I understand James. Do I think this can be something that can be amended? Probably not, but Daryl is going to have to meet him at least halfway to try to bring him into camp. I also don’t see James as a guy that’s going to come into camp and dog it. He’s either not gonna play, or when he does play, I see him being the professional that he is and giving his best, but I don’t see him doing that. I think he’s gonna try to hold out.”

Green and the Sixers will begin training camp in just a few weeks. While the assumption is that Harden won’t show up, despite the Sixers’ efforts to welcome him back with open arms, nobody can be so sure about his ultimate decision until the time comes.

It’s unclear whether Green’s prediction about Harden’s training camp decision has changed or not, but the sharpshooter clearly hasn’t shied away from the drama. Fortunately for the Sixers, Green has been with the team during a public holdout before and could be helpful in the process once again this season if Harden takes a similar path as Ben Simmons did two seasons ago.