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James Harden has played for four different NBA teams in the past two years thanks in no small part to his tendency to butt heads with members of his own organization, and now, we have some insight into what led to his messy divorce with the 76ers at the start of the current season.
When the Rockets traded James Harden to the Nets midway through the 2020-21 campaign, Houston had recently parted with former GM Daryl Morey, who’d accepted a job as the president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Morey had described the guard as a “foundational” player during his time in Houston, and he was obviously still pretty high on Harden when he negotiated the trade that led to the two of them reuniting in Philly.
While the veteran had the chance to explore his options in free agency over the summer, he made a somewhat surprising move by deciding to opt into the final year of his contract after the 76ers were eliminated from the playoffs before demanding a trade.
In August, things took a very interesting turn when Harden bluntly stated “Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.” At first, it seemed like that statement stemmed from him taking issue with the 76ers failing to find him a new home in a timely manner, but based on a new report, that’s not the only pledge that was supposedly unfulfilled.
During a recent conversation with The Athletic, Harden shed some light on what allegedly transpired behind the scenes by saying his decision to exercise his player option was the result of the 76ers failing to offer him the max contract he claims Morey promised to give him prior to the start of the offseason.
He notes he “had a really good relationship” with the former executive but that it soured when he realized he wasn’t going to get the contract he felt he deserved, and his decision to opt into his deal was apparently a chess move that ensured he’d get more than he probably would’ve garnered in free agency while forcing Philadelphia’s hand.
Well played.