After a tumultuous summer, James Harden has revealed why he repeatedly called 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey a “liar” and forced his way out of Philadelphia.
In an interview with The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Harden said that he had made sacrifices for the team, both financially and in the on-court role he played. Amick then asked him whether he was “actually told by the Sixers that you had a deal coming.”
Harden confirmed that the 76ers said a “max” contract was coming and that it was Morey himself who told him that.
Harden and Morey had previously worked together in Houston, with the star guard winning the NBA MVP in 2017-18. The 10-time all-star said that he and Morey had a good relationship until this summer’s messy divorce.
“Yeah, me and Daryl had a really good relationship. So (in the past), a week or two after we lose in the playoffs, it would be all about trying to figure out how to improve the team. (They’d talk about) ‘How do we get better?’ And that’s been going on for 10-plus years, you know what I mean?” Harden said in the interview.
“And then this year, there was no communication. And at that point, it’s like, ‘OK, I see what’s going on.’ I’m very intelligent. So then I just figure out ‘What’s my next move and what do I want to do?’ So I understand that, at the end of the day, this is a business. And just like he has to do what’s best for his organization, I’ve got to do what’s best for me and my family. It’s as simple as that.”
Harden also explained in the interview his decision to pick up his player option for the 2023-24 season as opposed to becoming a free agent and leaving Philadelphia on his own accord.
“It would have looked different for sure. The teams that are growing, or young, we’re gonna have the money, but that doesn’t make sense,” Harden said.
“And then the competitive teams don’t have the money. So, all in all, it would have probably ended up with me looking Philly in the face again. So, it was strategic, and people can talk and say (things), but they have no idea (without being) in this situation. Like I continue to say, I made the best decision for myself and my family.”
After sitting out most of training camp, Harden was traded from the 76ers to the L.A. Clippers in early November to team up with fellow stars Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook. The experiment has not gone well, with L.A. sitting ninth in the Western Conference at 9-10 and Philadelphia fourth in the East at 12-7.