On February 16, Beijing time, the 76ers held a press conference for Harden, in which Harden also responded for the first time to questions about his being traded and his development prospects for the 76ers. Harden said that the main reason he left the Nets was not that Irving was not vaccinated, when he left the Rockets, the 76ers were the team he wanted to join the most, but this did not happen at the time, he could only go to the Nets. When talking about his views on the next game of the season, Harden also said that he was looking forward to winning the championship with embiid, believing that he played the best performance of his career and hoped to help him win the championship.
At this press conference, Harden was asked the most question is whether his departure is related to Irving's non-vaccination, Harden talked about this topic, he frankly said: Irving does not vaccinate, which is only a very small part of my departure, and Irving and Irving are still very good friends.
When it comes to joining the 76ers, Harden said: When he wanted to leave the Rockets last season, the 76ers were his first choice, but unfortunately, this (joining the 76ers) was not realized at the time.
Then, when talking about the next goal of the season, Harden said: "Embiid has played his best performance ever this season, my goal is to help the team win the championship, I am happy to have the opportunity to work with Embiid, he is the best big player in the league and wants to go with him to win the championship." In addition, Harden also praised head coach Rivers, in Harden's view, Rivers is one of the best head coaches in basketball history and is happy to be led by him.
Judging from this conference, Harden is still very happy to join the 76ers. After all, when he chose to leave the Rockets, he wished he could go to the 76ers, but unfortunately, that thing didn't happen. When playing for the Nets, Harden also hoped to win the championship with Durant Irving, but unfortunately, Durant's injury, Irving's inability to play home games, these factors also affected the team's overall record, the Nets have faced a number of times this season in the lineup is incomplete, in this case, Harden wants to leave, which is understandable.
Now Harden is also as usual, he came to the team he wants to join, which increases his probability of winning the championship. The 76ers have had a very good momentum this season, with Simmons in the top 5 in the East under Embiid's long absence, while Embiid played his career best, topping the regular season MVP list and in very good personal form.
After coming to this team, Harden does not need to take on more offensive burdens, he can focus on organizing the whole team offensive aspect, he has a lot of scorers around him, and there are players such as Sebel and Maxi on the defensive end to share the pressure. Harden is expected to play a more efficient performance on the court, using his ability to connect the whole team's offense and help the team get better. If Harden can run into Embiid in the game and produce a certain chemical reaction, I believe that the 76ers are fully equipped to impact the championship.
For now, the deal helps both the 76ers and the Nets. The Nets traded Harden and Millsap to Get Simmons, Cescuri and Drummond, which boosted the team's roster depth. After the 76ers get Harden, the team can form a combination of Harden and Embiid, which also increases the team's probability of winning the championship, in the author's opinion, this is a win-win deal, which is conducive to the two sides to become better. After the trade, what kind of performance Harden and Embiid, Simmons and Durant Irving will have in the game, and who of the two teams can go further in the playoffs, is worth looking forward to.