Report: James Harden says Daryl Morey promised him a max deal, then Sixers ghosted him
The Sixers traded Harden to the Clippers last month, but his relationship with the front office was fractured long before that.
Perhaps this is why James Harden called 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey a “liar.”
According to the former Sixers point guard, Morey told him he would receive a maximum-salary contract. Harden was recently asked when Morey promised that he’d be getting the max deal.
“Well, the time that’s important was before the playoffs started [last season],” Harden told The Athletic’s Sam Amick. “He had conversations with my representation.”
The Athletic reports that a Sixers source denied that was the case.
The Sixers eventually sent Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers in a blockbuster trade on Nov. 1. But before that, the 10-time All-Star’s longstanding relationship with Morey had become beyond repair.
» READ MORE: James Harden’s Sixers era: A timeline of an eventful, tumultuous Philly tenure
“But it’s all about trusting people that you have known for over a decade,” Harden told the media in October, referencing his relationship with Morey. “When I got traded here, my whole thing was I wanted to retire a Sixer. … And the front office didn’t have that in their future plans. So it’s literally out of my control.
“It’s something that I didn’t want to happen, to be in this position. But I have to make a decision for my family. This is a business.”
When the 34-year-old opted into his $35.6 million player option for this season on June 29, he did so with the expectation that Morey would trade him during the summer to the Clippers.
But there was no traction on a deal, leading the Sixers to break off negotiations in August.
That led to Harden calling Morey “a liar” and stating he would never play for an organization that employs Morey.
Prior to the fallout, Harden and Morey had a relationship dating back to their time with the Houston Rockets. As Rockets general manager, Morey acquired Harden via a trade with the Thunder in October 2012.
Harden blossomed into a three-time scoring champion and 2018 league MVP during his nine seasons with the Rockets.
Morey’s ability to acquire Harden was part of the reason he was named team president in November 2020. Former Sixers minority owner Michael Rubin wanted to bring Harden to the Sixers to form a dominant duo with Joel Embiid.
» READ MORE: Daryl Morey believes his relationship with James Harden can be rectified: ‘I think time heals’
A year ago, Harden took a pay cut to help Morey and the Sixers.
Him opting out allowed the Sixers to bolster their depth, adding toughness during free agency by signing veteran forward P.J. Tucker with the full mid-level exception and forward Danuel House Jr., with the biannual exception.
“Me and the front office had a very, very good relationship, like I said, for a decade,” Harden said to the local media in October. “There was constant communication. There was no communication once we lost [in May to the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs].”
That’s when Harden realized the relationship was fractured and trust was lost. He told The Athletic that’s also when he figured out he wouldn’t receive the max contract.
This summer, sources said, Harden was upset with Morey for not negotiating a contract with him before the annual summer free agency period.
Another source denied that.