Daryl Morey’s presence was one of the main reasons why the Philadelphia 76ers were able to land James Harden a couple of seasons ago.
Morey always advocated for Harden during their days with the Houston Rockets, constantly complying with his many demands and getting him a lot of money in the process.
However, now that Harden wants out of the Sixers and Morey has refused to seriously consider trading him, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that their relationship is severed (via The Rally).
“The relationship between James Harden and Daryl Morey is essentially severed, it’s essentially fractured throughout this process.”
NBA Insider @ShamsCharania has the latest on James Harden. pic.twitter.com/aMhSJ9gDqS
— The Rally (@TheRally) July 17, 2023
Notably, Harden is adamant about playing for the Los Angeles Clippers next season, yet Morey has set a steep asking price for his services.
Harden could’ve opted out of his contract and signed with the Clippers for whichever amount they could’ve offered him, but he opted in as he discovered the market for him just wasn’t there anymore.
Morey is just doing his job of maximizing the value of every single one of his assets, but Harden is the kind of guy who makes things difficult when he doesn’t get his way.
He forced his way out of Houston and things got quite ugly very quickly, and he then did the same when he wanted to leave the Nets.
Harden wants to play for the Clippers, but he also wants to get paid top-dollar, and sometimes one cannot get everything one wants.
He’s still under contract with the Sixers and having a guy like him playing with discontent is a terrible idea, but the Clippers will need to pay up if they’re serious about getting him.
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