James Harden called Daryl Morey ‘a liar’ on Monday morning. How did we get to this point?
It’s safe to say James Harden and Daryl Morey’s relationship is not what it once was.
Speaking at a recent event during his tour of China, Harden said the Sixers’ president of basketball operations “is and a liar and I will never be part of an organization that he’s a part of.”
He then repeated the line for emphasis, as the video below from The Athletic’s Shams Charania shows:
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That video hit social media a little over a day after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Sixers have ended trade talks involving Harden.
The 10-time All-Star guard picked up his $35.6 million player option in late June and wants to become a Clipper, but Morey is habitually disinclined to settle in trade discussions. And though Harden has clearly been quite firm in his stance, the Sixers have figured that various factors — wanting to play in his age-34 season and show he’s still a great and valuable player, support from teammates like reigning MVP Joel Embiid, etc. — could lead to Harden eventually appearing at training camp and suiting up for them again.
A team source told NBC Sports Philadelphia that, while the Sixers honored Harden's request to explore a trade with the Clippers, they never got close to a deal. The Sixers don't feel a Harden trade would make sense unless it supports the organization's priority of maximizing its championship odds, a source said.
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Last June, Morey was asked about Harden’s contractual situation and said, “It’s a mutual love fest, so we feel like we’ll work it out.”
Harden ultimately declined his player option of $47.4 million for the 2022-23 season, instead signing a new contract that paid him $33 million in Year 1. That deal allowed the Sixers to sign PJ Tucker with the mid-level exception and Danuel House Jr. with the bi-annual exception. Sixers sources told NBC Sports Philadelphia that the team never had any agreements with Harden on a future contract.
This time around, as Morey told 97.5 The Fanatic’s Anthony Gargano last month, Harden “was wishing for a different situation contractually.”
Almost 11 years after Morey first traded for Harden, it’s not a “mutual love fest.”
