James Harden, Who Has Played For Six Different Teams, Is Weighing In On "Loyalty"

Throughout NBA history, there have been superstars who have become synonymous with a single franchise. Other all-time greats have jumped ship once or twice, while there are those who have drawn close to the tag of “journeyman.”

James Harden, a former MVP and scoring champion, is now with his sixth NBA team. Does this diminish his legacy?

“The whole quote-unquote loyalty thing, I think it’s overrated,” he said at a media session this week. “This is a business at the end of the day. There’s a lot of money involved and a lot of decisions that have to be made.”

Harden, whose two-year, $81.5 million contract was picked up by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a trade announced last week, offered more insights on the dynamics of player movement. “If a player isn’t producing and someone in the front office has to keep their job, they trade players. Or, if a guy isn’t happy and wants to be traded somewhere else.”

There’s no doubt about it: The 11-time All-Star was speaking from personal experience. In Houston, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia, he reached the point of becoming an unhappy camper who badly wanted a change of scenery. At certain points, Harden also looked like a player who wasn’t producing or wasn’t even available to play, ostensibly to call attention to his trade demand.

Still, Harden insisted that his head and heart were in the right place. “For me, it’s always about trying to compete for a championship and financially making sure that my family is taken care of,” he told reporters.

To Harden’s point, the team that he joined has a better chance of making noise in the playoffs than the team that he just left. The Los Angeles Clippers made the playoffs in each of Harden’s first two seasons in town, but in the 2025-26 campaign, the Clips have struggled to even reach .500. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, are in good position to secure an outright playoff spot, albeit after a significant decline following their high-octane performance on the offensive end last year.

Harden, who cracked the top 10 of all-time leaders in career scoring weeks ago, should be able to help in that regard. However, if his track record is any indication, a trade request out of Cleveland might make the headlines years from now.