Here’s a look at all the teams that James Harden played for in the NBA before he joined the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this year.
American professional basketball player James Edward Harden Jr. is now playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. He is frequently recognized for his thick beard, which has earned him the nickname “The Beard” among fans and the media. He is a talented left-sided combo guard who scores at a high rate, making him one of the NBA’s finest in his field.
James Harden is one of the NBA’s top scorers and is regarded as one of the best players in the league overall and the best shooting guard. Currently playing for the NBA’s Houston Rockets, Harden was a unanimous All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2009 while competing for the Arizona State Sun Devils in college basketball.
James Harden’s Journey so far
Arizona State was predicted to place eighth in the Pac-10 Conference in Harden’s rookie season. The Sun Devils went 21-13 (9-9) and tied for fifth place in the Pac-10 behind his 17.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. They were seen as an NCAA Tournament bubble team in 2008. After being disqualified from the competition, they were chosen for the 2008 NIT field and won against Alabama State and Southern Illinois before losing to the current champion Florida.
Harden averaged 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists during his second season. After Arizona State lost to USC in the Staples Center, he was selected for the 2009 All-Pac 10 Tournament Team.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder picked Harden as the third overall choice in the 2009 NBA Draft. During the 2009–10 season, he had the fourth-highest 3-point percentage (.375) of any player under the age of 21 in NBA history (minimum of 150 tries). He hit seven consecutive 3-pointers during the course of two games, the most by a rookie since Houston guard Michael Dickerson made eight in a row in May 1999.
Oklahoma City made an effort to sign Harden to a four-year agreement valued between $52 and $55 million during the 2012 free agency season. Later, Harden claimed that he was given little time to think about the offer.
Houston Rockets
On October 27, 2012, Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets along with Daequan Cook, Cole Aldrich, and Lazar Hayward in exchange for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks (Steven Adams in 2013 and Mitch McGary in 2014), and a second-round pick (Lex Abrines in 2013) after he and the Thunder were unable to come to an agreement on a contract extension.
Despite previously only playing a supporting role behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey referred to Harden as a “foundational” player and anticipated that he would be Houston’s star player. Harden extended his deal with the Rockets for five years and $80 million on October 31, 2012.
In his first season in Houston, Harden enjoyed one of the best statistical seasons in franchise history. In 78 games (all starts), he averaged 25.9 points, fifth-best in the NBA, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.8 assists, becoming only the sixth player in franchise history to achieve 2,000 points in a single season (2,023 points).
In his first year with the team, he set or equalled a number of team records and was selected to both his first NBA All-Star squad and his first All-NBA team. During the subsequent seven-a-half seasons with the team, he led the league in scoring three times and in assists once. In 2018, he was chosen as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player.
Brooklyn Nets
In a four-team trade involving the Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, and Brooklyn Nets on January 14, 2021, Harden was sent to the Nets in exchange for Victor Oladipo, Rodions Kurucs, Dante Exum, four first-round draft selections, and four first-round pick swaps.
With the Nets, he was chosen for his ninth and tenth All-Star games. As one of the greatest players in league history, Harden was selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in October 2021.
Philadelphia 76ers
Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks were acquired by the Nets from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Harden and Paul Millsap on February 10, 2022. The main factor in getting the Nets to sell Harden rather than incurring the cost of freeing up salary-cap space to sign Harden last summer was Morey’s willingness to include assets other than the suspended guard Ben Simmons in the transaction.
Harden will compete in his second season with the 76ers in order to aim for the championship. Harden also accepted a pay cut to allow the franchise to sign other players to win this upcoming season.
Read More:
- “Not with this style of play” – Kobe Bryant correctly predicted that James Harden and the Rockets would not win a title
- “I don’t think KD wants to play with LeBron James” – Shannon Sharpe doesn’t believe huge trade involving Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving will happen
- “James Harden looked in the mirror and said, ‘I am no longer a top 20 player’” – Colin Cowherd suggests The Beard is the most underappreciated athlete in America this week
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