The drama continues with James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers. On Monday a video was posted of Harden calling the team’s president of basketball operations a liar.
The video was of an Adidas event that superstar James Harden recently attended. Furthermore, there isn’t anything fake about it. It was shared all over social media by respected sports reports from various outlets like The Athletic.
It was only a few days ago that news came out that 76ers brass had ended trade talks with other teams and had plans to bring James Harden back into the lineup.
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James Harden Calls 76ers’ Daryl Morey a Liar
To say that it has been a tough offseason for the Philadelphia 76ers would be putting it mildly. In the spring, they were again knocked out of the second round of the playoffs despite possessing a strong lineup. Again, they came up short against the Boston Celtics, a club they seem incapable of overcoming. Then began a melodrama between one of the team’s undisputed stars James Harden and team brass, specifically president of basketball operations Daryl Morey.
In China at an Adidas event, James Harden was filmed voicing a strong opinion about the gentleman concerned.
“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.” Harden doubled down. “Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.”
Daryl Morey and James Harden have a history with each other from their days with the Houston Rockets, but things are not nearly as rosy as they were back then. It is also being said that the source of Harden’s ire is the lack of a maximum long-term contract. In his defence, while he may not be the scorer he once was, his contributions still matter a great deal to the 76ers, especially as a facilitator to teammates like MVP Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The absence of said long-term deal is what prompted Harden to request a trade instead of testing free agency.
Harden requested a trade after picking up his player option in June worth $35.6 million. It wasn’t as though the 76ers sat around and did nothing, but what they requested in return for a player of Harden’s calibre was too much to swallow. It’s reported that Philadelphia had some conversations with the Los Angeles Clippers but to no avail.
This sets up an extremely uncomfortable training camp between the two parties. What do the 76ers do now? Can relationships be mended? The next few weeks will be incredibly interesting to follow.
