What did James Harden say in his first interview since Clippers trade?

James Harden is not one to hold back on what he thinks. That was obvious in the offseason when he called Philadelphia 76ers owner Daryl Morey “a liar” and it was obvious when he gave his first interview since being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.

Harden said he initially thought he would retire as a Sixer after taking a $26 million paycut after leaving the New York Nets to go to Philadelphia, but that the “front office had other plans”. It was clear that the wounds were still fresh as Harden described himself as being “on a leash” with coach Doc Rivers and said that he needed to be a part of a team that understood how he operates.

“When I said ‘on a leash’, I don’t mean just shooting the basketball every time. I think the game. I’m a creator on the court. If I’ve got a voice, someone that trusts me, believes in me, understands me... I’m not a system player, I’m a system,” said Harden. “If I have someone who can have a dialogue with me, make adjustments on the fly throughout the course of the game, that’s all I really care about. It’s not about having the basketball, or scoring 30, 40 points a night. I’ve done that already.”

Indeed, Harden averaged double-digit assists every game over the last three seasons and led the league with 10.7 assists per game last year. With the Clippers, he’ll be playing alongside more great players like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook, so he will have to share the spotlight with them on the court in LA’s system. One thing he made clear though is that he is ready to put the drama to rest and the best way to do that is to win games.

“Changing my role, trying to change the narrative, trying to sacrifice and do whatever it takes to win at the highest level,” said Harden. “Whatever people talk about and say, I just want to win at the highest level.”