James Harden opened up about his Los Angeles Clippers trade following his Cleveland Cavaliers exit.
In a rare star-for-star swap, the LA Clippers traded Harden to the Cavaliers in exchange for All-Star guard Darius Garland.
According to Basket News, following the trade, the 36-year-old expressed gratitude to the hometown team Clippers for two and a half seasons.
In a statement to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, he said, “In life, not even just basketball, when things don't work out, there are ways to end things in relationships without having to crack each other. Okay, maybe we just don't see a future with each other. Maybe we just outgrew each other, whatever the case may be.”
Retreating that he did not ask for trade, Harden added, “I feel like other situations weren't like that. And that's why I can respect Steve [Ballmer] and [Lawrence Frank and [Ty Lue] because they didn't put me in a weird position as much as everybody tried to make it like that. We had a hell of a two and a half years. We didn't reach the goals that we all wanted to reach, but I think we built some great memories.”
He noted that despite not reaching the goal, he had some great wins and fun moments with the team and acknowledged that at the end of the day, it is business, and both of the sides have got what they wanted.
The Clippers got James at the beginning of the 2023-24 season, and right from the first game, he proved that he was the right choice for the team. He led the team to the playoffs in the last two seasons.
Furthermore, there were also reports that Harden, who signed a two-year $81.5 million deal last year, wanted a new contract.
