Kendrick Perkins say Joel Embiid should want James Harden to leave Sixers
Kendrick #Kendrick
James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers will have to decide what to do in the future as The Beard is likely to opt out and head into free agency. While having him return to the Sixers makes the most sense it does appear that a return to the Houston Rockets is imminent.
With the Sixers moving on from Doc Rivers after three seasons on the job, some believe that might be a move to appease Harden and have him return to Philadelphia. However, a former Harden teammate is ready for him to leave Joel Embiid and the Sixers.
ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins hopped on “First Take” and said that Embiid should want Harden to leave after everything that has transpired:
To be honest with you, I think Joel Embiid should want Harden to walk. I think he deserves better than James Harden and if it comes to Harden making the decision on who the coach is gonna be, then I think Joel Embiid should force his way out because here’s the thing, it’s bad enough that they didn’t even consult or even ask Joel Embiid about Doc Rivers or whether or not he wanted to keep Doc Rivers, that’s insulting right there because this is your league MVP. This is your franchise guy. He has led the league in scoring two years in a row. You at least have to ask him. This is not about James Harden and this is the problem that I have. If I’m Joel Embiid, there’s no way in hell I’m trusting Daryl Morey with the love affair that he has with James Harden, that he’s gonna do right by Joel Embiid. He’s always gonna do right by James Harden, but I don’t trust he’s gonna do right by Joel Embiid. With that being said, if I’m Joel Embiid, I’m watching to see what happens because I would actually love to see Kyrie Irving in Philadelphia with Joel Embiid.
Here’s the thing with Perkins’ comment about the Sixers should go get Irving, if Harden walks, the Sixers are not going to all of a sudden have $30 million in cap space. So Irving is an unlikely addition.
It’s no secret that Embiid wasn’t happy with the team moving on from Rivers. That doesn’t necessarily mean that his relationship with Harden or the organization is bad, but either way, all eyes will be on Philadelphia to see what happens with the Sixers as this offseason now moves full steam ahead.
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