James Harden lost trust in Sixers front office and doesn’t believe relationship can be mended

James Harden wants 76ers fans to know he appreciates the love and support they’ve shown him during this difficult time.

“But it’s all about trusting people that you have known for over a decade,” he said following Friday’s practice, referencing his relationship with president Daryl 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.”

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After missing media day and the first day of training camp, Harden has taken on a businesslike approach since arriving to Fort Collins, Colo., for practice. He’s been great with teammates and often is one of the last player to leave the gym.

But does he still want to be traded?

“You got to talk to the front office about that,” Harden said. “I just been here working my butt off, and I love the game of basketball. So I’m just in the gym and putting the work in. That’s all I can control.”

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 this summer, preferably to his hometown Los Angeles 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 Morey is a part of.

Harden and Morey have a relationship dating back to their time together with the Rockets. As Houston Rockets general manager, Morey acquired Harden via a trade with the Thunder in October 2012.

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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.

A year ago, Harden took a pay cut to help Morey and the Sixers.

Harden took a $15 million less and signed a two-year deal with a player option in the second year. This comes after he opted out of a $47.36 million player option for the 2022-23 season.

By picking up that option, the perennial All-NBA selection would have been eligible to sign a four-year, $233 million contract extension that would pay him $61.7 million in the 2026-27 season.

But he opted out and allowed the Sixers to bolster their depth, adding toughness during free agency by signing veteran forward P.J. Tucker with the full midlevel 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. “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.

This summer, sources said, Harden was upset with Morey for not negotiating a contract with him before this summer’s free agency period. Another source denied that.

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But even if the Sixers did negotiate a deal, would the annual salary be more than the $35.6 million Harden picked up? Sources have said the Sixers were not willing to hinder the team’s short- or long-term future by overpaying for Harden.

Harden was asked if the relationship could be repaired.

“No,” he said.

Why?

“It’s not even about this situation, this is in life,” he said. “When you lose trust in someone, it’s like a marriage. When you lose trust in someone ... it’s pretty simple.”

As long as he remains a Sixer, Harden said he won’t have a problem being a good teammate and playing basketball.

“Control what you can control,” he said. “I’ve been in this league so long, and I’ve seen so many different things to where I’m here putting work in. That’s all I can do. I work my butt off.

“You can say whatever you want to say about me, but you don’t get this far in this league without putting work in. That’s what I lean my hat on. So when things fail or things don’t go how you feel they should go, you just continue to work.”