James Harden has grabbed the headlines for all the wrong reasons. His recent visits to China have also gotten attention from the media, especially after his recent comments against Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey.
Former NBA player Stephon Marbury has shared his perspective on the entire Harden scenario. He spoke on rumours surrounding Harden’s move to China. Marbury believes that Harden moving to China will be good for the game of basketball but personally, he thinks that the guard will get another big-money contract from an NBA team pretty soon.
Marbury played in the Chinese Basketball league from 2010 to 2018 and is currently the head coach of the Beijing Royal Fighters. Hence, he was the perfect person to speak to on this topic. While he feels that it will be great for the game if Harden comes to China, his intuition suggests that Harden will continue in the NBA.
“It’s always good to see guys from the NBA try China and play,” Marbury told Brandon Robinson of Bally Sports. “It would be good for basketball to see James play in China. It’s basketball. It’s an opportunity to play. But I don’t think he’s coming. I think he’s gonna get another big contract in the NBA, though.”
Harden, despite his off-the-field issues, has plenty of basketball left in his tank. He is still considered one of the superstars in the league as his scoring and creative brilliance is still regarded highly.
However, his free agency market has been a struggle as teams are not interested in the 33-year-old, especially after his issues with the last two teams. As per ESPN’s Adian Wojnarowski, the Sixers stopped trade talks despite they had some interest from the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Sixers have managed to take three free-agent players mainly because of Harden’s acceptance of a pay cut of $14.3 million last season.
During the last season, the 33-year-old guard averaged 21 points per game along with 10.7 assists per game. He has 44.1% shooting and 38.5% from beyond the arc.
Harden spoke about the love he receives whenever he comes to China. “Every time I come here, the love is just like … it’s crazy,” Harden said. “You know what I mean? So I feel like they deserve to actually see me come to play here. … Love is always crazy here,” Harden said.
Some people are unsure about Harden’s future. They aren’t able to understand if he considers China as a career option, especially after looking at his fondness for the country and for the people.
With tensions rising with the Philadelphia 76ers, it remains to be seen where Harden finally ends up.
