Everything from start to finish about James Harden's eventual trade to the Clippers was a unique and at times, head-scratching ordeal to watch play out. While Harden is coming off an extremely strong season with the 76ers, there reportedly was very little interest in him on the trade market, with the exception being the team he's now set to join in Los Angeles.
That lack of trade interest, which former NBA general manager Ryan McDonough believes came after a lack of free agency interest, has led to questions about the guard's NBA future as well. And in the eyes of the ex-Suns' GM, Harden has to make sure things work with the Clippers, or it could lead to an abrupt ending to his career.
"I think for Harden, individually, there's not a lot of interest. The majority of teams do not want him at any price, even a non-guaranteed minimum, where he'd have to earn it," McDonough said on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
"I think one of the things that would be alarming .... is Harden goes through all of this, there is a lack of interest, he ends up in L.A. and without showing any remorse or self-reflection, his first comments are 'I am the system.'" McDonough continued. "... I think it has to work in L.A. — if it doesn't work, I think there's a chance that he's out of the league next year."
McDonough, who was with the Suns from the 2013-14 season through October '18, makes valid points on the overall interest level in a trade or a top-dollar contract for Harden. However, it's hard to imagine a world where no team would sign the 10-time All-Star to any form of a deal if he's unable to mesh well with the Clippers.
