NEWSLETTER
The Philadelphia 76ers drama just reached new heights. Only a couple of days after reports stated that front office leader Daryl Morey would end trade talks that involved Harden – who demanded a trade earlier this offseason – Harden has called out the executive.
At an event on his China tour, Harden got in front of an audience and slammed Morey. In video shared by The Athletic’s Shams Charania and ClutchPoints Tomer Azarly, Harden can be seen making it clear that he’ll never play for the executive again.
“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of. Let me say that again: Daryl More is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.”
Yes, I promise you those words came out of Harden’s mouth. I know it’s hard to believe, but here’s one of the videos:
Again, this comes only a couple of days after ESPN reported that Philly would end trade discussions for Harden and expect him to return to training camp this fall. The superstar point guard exercised his player option for this season ahead of free agency, operating under the assumption that the 76ers would find him a new home.
It’s unclear right now exactly what Harden’s beef is with Morey, who he also teamed up with for many successful years in Houston. While pausing the trade talks surely helped lead to these remarks, one has to imagine Harden’s anger is centered mostly around the fact that he hasn’t reached a long-term extension with the 76ers. Harden signed just a two-year deal on a reported discount last summer to help give the organization some flexibility to add more pieces for a championship pursuit. Many then assumed Philly would reward Harden with his desired long-term deal one summer later.
If Harden was promised a new contract, it is easy to understand his frustration with how things have turned out. At the same time, this is the guy who has now demanded a trade from three teams since the 2020-21 season. I guess the question now is … who wins? Morey doesn’t want to budge until he gets a proper return on his investment, but it appears clear that Harden will do everything he can not to be in Philly when the season tips off.
If one thing is for sure, it feels like things may only get messier. And, wait, what does Joel Embiid think about all of this?
