Former Arizona State and current Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden is in the headlines again after vowing to never play for an organization that current 76ers’ President Daryl Morey is a part of at a promotional event in China.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!James Harden: “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 Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.” pic.twitter.com/AmHJ0WwbF2
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 14, 2023
“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 Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden said.
These comments come after the 76ers told Harden’s agent this weekend that they hadn’t been able to find a suitable package to trade him for and planned to keep him going into training camp.
Earlier this offseason, Harden exercised his $35.6 million player option for this season in hopes that Philadelphia would trade him.
Harden’s preferred team was the Los Angeles Clippers, however, they and other teams did not give the 76ers an offer that would make Philadelphia a contender.
The 33-year-old Harden apparently feels as if Morey never built this championship-level team.
More drama could be brewing in Philadelphia with Harden’s MVP teammate, Joel Embiid.
Joel Embiid removed “Philadelphia” from his location 😬 pic.twitter.com/s7BDZeI6iq
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 15, 2023
Harden’s former teammate Kyrie Irving chimed in on Harden’s situation.
Is he Disgruntled Adrian?? Or is he holding Darryl Morey accountable for his dishonesty and lack of transparency throughout the contract negotiation process this summer?
— Chief Hélà 🤞🏾 (@KyrieIrving) August 14, 2023
“Is he Disgruntled Adrian??” Irving tweeted in response to an ESPN story that called Harden disgruntled. “Or is he holding Darryl Morey accountable for his dishonesty and lack of transparency throughout the contract negotiation process this summer?”
This is now the third time that Harden has tried to force his way off of a team after seemingly being a loyal player during a long stretch of time in Houston, where Morey ran the team.
Harden played with the Rockets from 2012 to 2021, becoming one of the best players in franchise history, averaging 29.6 points, 7.7 assists and 6.0 rebounds in 621 games for them and winning MVP in 2018. His tenure came to an abrupt end in January 2021 after Harden demanded a trade, and his wish was granted, as he joined the Nets alongside the likes of Irving and Kevin Durant.
When his time on the Nets did not pan out how he wanted, Harden requested and was granted a trade to the 76ers in February 2022 in large part because he wanted to play for Morey.
Harden and the 76ers were eliminated in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs this year, but Harden had two 40-point games during the series.
Now, his future looks even more murky. The 76ers begin training camp in October, so we will see if anything changes before then.
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Brendan Mau is a college sports insider and general assignment reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on Twitter via @Brendan_Mau
