"They would have given him a max" - Stephen A. Smith drops major bombshell in light of James Harden's current situation

Before playing for the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers, James Harden was in the prime of his career with the Houston Rockets. In his nine seasons in Houston, Harden averaged 29.6 points per game (44.3% shooting, including 36.2% from 3-point range), 7.7 assists, and 6.0 rebounds.

Being the scoring machine that he was back in Houston, which earned him three scoring titles and even an MVP award in 2018, he has not looked the same since he departed the team. Be that as it may, injuries are also to blame for Harden losing some of his explosiveness.

However, prior to his ongoing conflict with Daryl Morey, the President of Basketball Operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported a possible return to Houston. Interestingly enough, Stephen A. Smith added to this information recently on ESPN's "First Take."

"He [Harden] actually talked himself out of a max deal," Smith said. "Because he went in there talking about how he wanted to return to being that scoring champion. And Ime Udoka and them were like, 'Nah, we ain't trying to have that.' Had he come in there and said the right things, they would have given him a max four-year deal."

From Smith's report, he added that Rockets coach Ime Udoka and the entire organization were headstrong in the culture they were trying to build for the team. With a young Houston Rockets core, Udoka and his coaching staff envisioned something different from a "scoring champion" when it came to Harden's role on the team.

With a different position regarding the kind of role he would have in Houston, Harden remains part of the 76ers for the moment.

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ESPN's Stephen A. Smith voices out his disappointment with James Harden's recent behavior

Following James Harden's disgruntled behavior with Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith talked on his "The Stephen A. Smith Show " about how bad of a look Harden is doing to himself.

"I like James Harden a lot, but he's been acting like a damn child," Smith said. "Daryl Morey is not looking bad now. The more James Harden reveals his disgust, the more petulant he looks, the worse he looks."

"I don't wanna be a Philadelphia 76er? Well, you didn't want to be a Houston Rocket," Smith added. "You didn't want to be a Brooklyn Net. And when you act this way repeatedly, eventually you get to a point where cats ain't trying to take their chances on you."

From Smith's point of view, instead of acting professionally throughout the drama, he has further damaged his reputation. It might also have led to other possible suitors backing out in trade negotiations for him.

In the two seasons that James Harden played in Philadelphia, he has put up 21.0 ppg (43.1% shooting, including 37.0% from 3-point range), 10.6 apg, and 6.4 rpg.