The Key Role of Joel Embiid in James Harden's Trade Request Drama.
Joel Embiid is at the center of the situation involving James Harden's request to be traded to a different team.
Harden, who used to be a top player in the NBA and is getting close to turning 34 years old
He can still play well and is known for making plays and shooting three-pointers, but he's not as fast and explosive as he was before.
Harden has a history of causing drama to get traded to new teams, and he's doing it again.
This is the third year in a row he's asked to be traded.
This offseason, he wanted to leave the Philadelphia 76ers even though he could have stayed for another year by taking a big paycheck.
The person in charge of the Sixers, Daryl Morey, initially said they'd consider trading Harden, but then changed his mind and said they wouldn't.
Harden didn't like that and publicly accused Morey of lying. He wants to make things tough for the Sixers so they'll eventually trade him.
This is all happening as the time for training camp is getting close, which adds more drama to the situation.
Harden might be trying to use his power to make his MVP teammate, Joel Embiid, unhappy with the team.
Embiid recently changed his social media to not mention Philadelphia, which could mean he's not happy with the team.
Embiid is smart about media, so it's unlikely he did this by mistake. This makes Embiid a central part of the drama around Harden's trade request.
Embiid is super important for the Sixers, but they haven't done well in the playoffs.