"He had a chance to go to Brooklyn with KD and Kyrie, just think about the talent he's played with" - Former NBA champion takes a direct jibe at James Harden for always being discontent with his teams
James Harden has shuffled between three franchises in the past two seasons. His search for a perfect team with a title-winning opportunity has driven him to try different teams within a short span of time. Having settled with the Philadelphia 76ers, Harden and the team failed to make it past the second round this season.
With his postseason over, Harden's contract extension situation has been in the spotlight. Reacting to the three-time scoring champion's multiple moves, former NBA champion Paul Pierce took a jibe.
EPISODE 107
*EXCLUSIVE* interview with @paulpierce34
Playoff battles with LeBron
Similarities between Pierce, Tatum and Luka
The Truth's advice to the current Celtics🔊 EPISODE 107
👀 *EXCLUSIVE* interview with @paulpierce34
👑 Playoff battles with LeBron
🏀 Similarities between Pierce, Tatum and Luka
🏆 The Truth's advice to the current Celtics
presented by @NBA2K_UKI
Pierce reflected on the talents the 2018 MVP has been fortunate to play alongside. He said it always just looks like Harden's never happy. Pierce also reflected on his championship with the Boston Celtics, having stuck with the team despite the tough times.
"He had a chance to go to Brooklyn with KD (Kevin Durant) and irving" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Kyrie (Irving)," Pierce said. "Just think about the talent he's played with – Philly, Joel Embiid, you know – and it just seems like he's never happy. But you know, I'm happy I was able to win and stick it out in Boston, win the championship. Because if you're gonna win a championship, you want to win one in Boston."
Paul Pierce calls out James Harden for being discontented with his teams
In his ninth season with the Houston Rockets, the 10-time All-Star forced a trade to the Brooklyn Nets in January 2021. There, he joined Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving – arguably the most talented duo in the league – in a bid to win the title.
With Irving out for most of this season due to the vaccination mandate, the chances of the Nets making a championship run were slim.
Not willing to latch his tent on a dwindling team, Harden was involved in the most controversial trade of the season. His move to the Philadelphia 76ers in February after several refusals to renew his contract with the Nets was met with mixed reactions. While some applauded the trade, others criticized it and questioned his intentions.
"James Harden is an all time, transcendently great regular season player. The postseason stuff is a mixed bag. His regular season résumé is that of one of the greatest players of all time."
— @getnickwright on why Harden is No. 25 on his Top 50 NBA Players of the Last 50 Years: https://t.co/A6Zq9yX1od
Paul Pierce weighed in on the disparity between the NBA of old, when loyalty reigned supreme, and the modern day. He said that his time in the league was seemingly a lot different from the modern NBA. He said this as it relates to the issue of players not sticking with their team when it gets tough.
"When it gets tough, guys want to get going, and I don't get it, you know," Pierce said. "You have this great opportunity to play for these great different franchises and one name that really comes to mind is James Harden.
"Not to deny James Harden, because he's been a great player in our league, but I just think, you know, the places that he's been, he's been able to play with other great players."