The Philadelphia 76ers don’t seem to be too eager to move on from James Harden. Daryl Morey is usually one of the toughest people to negotiate with in the NBA, and this time won’t be any different.
Morey’s obsession with Harden dates back to their days with the Houston Rockets. This time, however, his beloved star doesn’t want any part of him or his team anymore, as he reportedly feels disrespected by the Sixers’ stance on his trade request.
Notably, Morey coudln’t care less about his feelings. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Sixers intend to hold onto Harden, even despite his desire to leave and play for the Los Angeles Clippers.
NBA Rumors: Sixers Don’t Want To Trade James Harden
(Transcript via The Athletic)
“With Harden, we’ve already seen how messy it can get when his trade request isn’t being granted as quickly as he would like. During those final weeks of his Houston era, when Morey had already left his Rockets front office post for Philadelphia and Harden had decided in November 2021 that it was time to move on, he showed up to training camp late after partying in Atlanta and Las Vegas, causing all kinds of consternation inside the locker room once he arrived. The later stages of his Brooklyn experience had similar vibes, with Morey using Harden’s unhappiness to his advantage in negotiations with the Nets before that February 2022 trade to Philadelphia.
Yet despite all that relevant history, and in spite of the fact that Morey may know Harden, and all of his complexities, better than anyone in the NBA, rival executives with whom I spoke at summer league were universally convinced that the Sixers are now attempting to keep Harden. Discontent be damned.
The sluggish trade talks between the Sixers and Clippers about Harden would seem to support this stance. Morey is known to be asking for the kind of return that — as of Tuesday afternoon — left the strong impression that he had no genuine interest in getting a deal done anytime soon.”
Harden usually gets what he wants, and he makes sure to make life living hell to all around him if they dare stand in his way. So, it’ll be interesting to see how these parties deal with this.
