BOSTON — The NBA trade deadline is always a very stressful time for players. It comes every season around the same time, but there isn’t necessarily a way to prepare for when the rumors start circulating on social media.
The Philadelphia 76ers are no different. They have had Matisse Thybulle and Furkan Korkmaz involved in trade reports for weeks leading up to the deadline.
After the Sixers fell, 106-99, to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday for their second straight loss, the team’s leaders, Joel Embiid and James Harden, had a message for how to handle the deadline.
“It’s a business,” said Embiid. “They understand it. I do understand that. I’m in that position, too. I’m an NBA player, too. So it doesn’t matter who, you never know what can happen in this league. Just come in and do your job and whatever happens, happens.”
Overall, the message from Embiid was to just focus on the game and understand that there is a job to do which is to win basketball games.
Harden similarly echoed the sentiments.
“It’s part of the business,” said Harden. “I mean, 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. Some things you really can’t control.”
The best way to take one’s mind off of tough situations is to go out and do things that make one happy. In the case of the Sixers, it’s just to go play basketball.
“So just go out there and hoop,” Harden added. “Hoop and have fun, and 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 fall.”
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