It’s especially nice for the current Atlantic Division drama to not directly involve the New York Knicks, who have put together a quiet offseason. Instead, the Sixers and Daryl Morey are under fire by one of the team’s current players — James Harden.
At his request, Harden was traded to Philadelphia from Brooklyn before the 2022 trade deadline. He left behind a struggling Nets organization that has since lost Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The Sixers were seemingly in a good position after finally offloading Ben Simmons, but a year and a half later, Philadelphia is in a tough spot with two months remaining until the 2023-24 regular season.
Harden requested a trade from the Sixers in June after he opted into his $35.6 million player option. On Sunday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Morey and Philadelphia “ended trade talks” involving Harden and instead were expecting Harden to show up to training camp. It didn’t take long for Harden to respond.
James Harden: “Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of. 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.” pic.twitter.com/AmHJ0WwbF2
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 14, 2023
Knicks rival under fire after James Harden calls Daryl Morey a “liar”
In case it hasn’t been made clear, James Harden has no intention of playing another basketball game for the Sixers. He’s maintained that he wants to be traded to the Clippers. Philadelphia is risking another Ben Simmons situation, if not worse.
The Harden-Morey drama couldn’t be better for the Knicks, who have been closely monitoring Joel Embiid’s situation. The reigning MVP has said he’d like for Harden to stay with Philadelphia in 2023-24. The Sixers are in a position where they need to do everything they can to build a winning roster around Embiid, but the Harden situation severely complicates the matter.
Embiid enters the new season at 29 and has three full seasons left on his current contract and a $59 million player option for 2026-27. If the Sixers collapse in 2023-24, it wouldn’t be far-fetched for Embiid to request a trade, especially if Embiid’s relationship with Morey takes a hit. Clearly, something isn’t right in Philadelphia.
Reportedly, Morey is “unmoved” by what Harden said, and Harden’s agent “advised him against making that statement.”
Source: Daryl Morey is unmoved by James’ comments. He is holding firm in his stance that he will not trade him unless it makes the Sixers a better team.
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) August 14, 2023
Meanwhile, I’m told James’ agent advised him against making that statement.
Who will cave first? Morey or Harden? The longer this situation goes on, the better for the Knicks. This isn’t a fire the Sixers will easily be able to put out, as it’s only gotten worse. Leon Rose and New York’s front office is watching and hoping the chaos will continue.
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