Kendrick Perkins Warns James Harden About NBA Future Amid 76ers Drama
ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins believes that James Harden’s days in the NBA could be numbered after the 10-time All-Star publicly criticized 76ers president Daryl Morey.
On Monday, Harden called Morey a “liar” in reference to a report stating that Philadelphia was no longer shopping the disgruntled star to potential trade partners, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. After Harden’s latest actions, Perkins told the crew on ESPN’s NBA Today that the Philadelphia star’s career future could be in jeopardy.
“You went and criticized a guy, a friend that value you more than anybody in the league,” Perkins said on the show. “James Harden has everything to lose, and if he’s not careful, he could possibly be out of the league after next year. Because here’s the thing: You can’t trust him. He’s been disgruntled in the last four out of five years. …The NBA don’t need him. … They move on from old superstars. They have a bunch of young superstars coming in every single year that can replace him.”
Harden is unhappy with Morey because the franchise did not offer him a maximum-level contract, per ESPN. As a result, he exercised his $35.6 million player option in June and subsequently requested a trade.
Kendrick Perkins: "James Harden has everything to lose and if he's not careful, he could possibly be out of the league after next year because here's the thing: You can't trust him... The NBA don't need him... They move on from old superstars"
— Oh no he didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) August 16, 2023
Sixers; Daryl Morey; Philly; 76ers pic.twitter.com/5ryi6V2hCj
However, in July, Morey told reporters that if Philadelphia was unable to find a desirable trade, he would not part ways with Harden. Despite no current deal in sight for Harden, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that Harden still wants to be traded and plans to skip training camp if the transaction does not come to fruition.
Harden, who turns 34 on Aug. 26, averaged 21.0 points, 10.7 assists and 6.1 rebounds in 58 games last season.