Sixers Stars Joel Embiid, James Harden Share Thoughts on Deadline

Joel Embiid and James Harden dished out their thoughts on the eve of the NBA trade deadline.

The Philadelphia 76ers faced the Boston Celtics on the eve of the trade deadline. At the conclusion of the battle between the Eastern Conference’s first and third seeds, the Sixers had yet to make a move. 

Several names have been in the rumor mill, including Jaden Springer, Danuel House Jr, Furkan Korkmaz, and Matisse Thybulle. Yet, the Sixers hadn’t found a way to put together a package to make some slight changes to the roster.

Without getting moves done, the rumors continue to loom, and as rumors continue to spread, they might have an effect on the way players compete leading up to the deadline. After Philly’s Wednesday night loss to Boston, Sixers center Joel Embiid offered his thoughts on the trade deadline and how he approaches it. Or, in this case, doesn’t.

“I don’t care,” said Embiid. “It’s a business. They understand it. I understand it. I’m in that position too. I’m an NBA player too. It doesn’t matter who you are. You never know what can happen in this league. Just come in and do your job, and whatever happens, happens.”

While the chances of Embiid getting traded by the Sixers have always been low, the big man has constantly reminded fans that anything can happen in this league, and he believes no player is truly untouchable. 

As for Harden, his message was similar. 

“It’s part of the business,” said the former MVP. “This happens every single year. I think as a professional, you got to just go out there and do your job to the best of your ability, and whatever happens, happens. There are some things you really can’t control. So, just go out there and hoop. Hoop and have fun, whatever you do as a basketball player, whatever your position is, whatever your role is, go out there and do it to the best of your ability every single night and let it fall where it falls.”

The Sixers remain trade-less still, but anything can happen between Thursday morning and 3 PM ET.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.