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As James Harden's comments toward 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey continue to remain in the headlines, Dwight Howard has tried to recruit his former Rockets teammate.
Howard said:
"James (Harden) stay right there; it's a shorter flight to Taiwan."
Howard has been known to do that whenever an NBA player is being mocked on social media as he explores the possibility of that player playing overseas.
The likes of Jordan Poole, Julius Randle, Ben Simmons, Klay Thompson, Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant were mentioned by Howard in a previous video.
Hilariously enough, Dwight Howard has mentioned James Harden in the past when rumors started to speculate of the latter's return to the Houston Rockets.
Daryl Morey's relationship with James Harden and Dwight Howard explored
After spending one season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Dwight Howard was acquired by Rockets general manager Daryl Morey in 2013. Howard would go on to play three seasons in Houston and average 16.0 points per game (60.1% shooting) and 11.7 rebounds.
The vision was clear, as it involved a one-two punch with James Harden and Dwight Howard. The team had some regular season success but struggled to go far in the postseason.
However, his final stint with the Rockets didn't go so well, as it involved frustrations and struggles on the court, per a 2016 article from CBS Sports' Matt Moore.
"I felt like my role was being reduced," Howard said. "I went to (Rockets general manager) Daryl (Morey) and said, 'I want to be more involved.' Daryl said, 'No we don't want you to be.' My response was, 'Why not? Why am I here?' It was shocking to me that it came from him instead of our coach."
"So I said to him, 'No disrespect to what you do, but you've never played the game. I've been in this game a long time. I know what it takes to be effective," Howard added.
The aforementioned article also added that Howard hasn't been effective in his production at the low-post area. During the 2015-16 season, he averaged 45%, according to Synergy Sports.
The problem is that his average at the low-post area in his last season was already his highest, with the 60th and above percentile being the standard for an effective low-post scorer. In his final season with the Houston Rockets, he averaged 13.7 ppg (62.0% shooting) and 11.8 rpg.
Both Morey and Howard would end up on the same team when the former NBA center joined the Sixers in 2020 on a one-year deal. However, he would not be re-signed by the team the next season.
Meanwhile, in James Harden's situation, he was acquired by Morey from the OKC Thunder via trade in 2012. He would go on to play nine seasons with the Rockets and averaged 29.6 ppg (44.3% shooting, including 36.2% from the 3-point range), 7.7 apg and 6.0 rpg.
During their time together, Morey valued the process of building the team around Harden and providing the proper pieces. The team was close to advancing to the NBA Finals in the 2018 playoffs but was unable to close the series despite a 3-2 advantage over the Golden State Warriors.
Both James Harden and Daryl Morey would band forces once more when the 10-time All-Star joined the Sixers in 2021. However, after two seasons of disappointing finishes in the playoffs, the relationship between the two has run its course.
Looking back when James Harden took less money for Sixers to acquire free agents during 2022 free agency
Harden was willing to take a pay cut of $15 million to re-sign with the Philadelphia 76ers so that the Sixers would have enough cap to acquire quality pieces in the 2022 free agency.
According to Rockets Wire's Ben DuBose, there have been promises made that have not been fulfilled by Daryl Morey and the Sixers. One of them is the ongoing problem of working out a trade package for Harden to consider.
Another one would be the expectation for Harden to receive a huge contract, as there are currently no available trade options for him. The Sixers expect that Harden would come into training camp ready to begin a new season.
