If there was any doubt James Harden wanted out of the Philadelphia 76ers, the player himself made sure to let everyone know he’s determined to leave. Recently, The Beard took a huge shot at Daryl Morey.
“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden said. “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.”
This seems to put the final nail to his Sixers’ stint’s coffin, as it’s hard to believe they can find a way out of this other than parting ways. But how did Morey take Harden’s comments? Apparently, they didn’t affect the GM.
Daryl Morey ‘unmoved’ by Harden’s comments
“Source: Daryl Morey is unmoved by James’ comments,” Jason Dumas of Bleacher Report tweeted. “He is holding firm in his stance that he will not trade him unless it makes the Sixers a better team. Meanwhile, I’m told James’ agent advised him against making that statement.”
Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer also reported that the Sixers knew Harden could react like this after telling his camp they couldn’t find a satisfying offer to let him go:
“A league source said Morey wasn’t surprised at Harden’s commentary and his attempt to make things personal given his agent’s reaction this weekend to being informed the Sixers weren’t able to find a suitable deal. The Sixers, however, are unmoved by Harden’s statement and still expect him to report to training camp.”
It looks like there’s no turning back between Harden and the Sixers. However, since he opted into his player option this offseason, the team has the final say in any trade conversations.