James Harden he is trying in some way to make his experience at the LA Clippers work, wanted and pursued after a long back and forth with the Philadelphia 76ers to orchestrate his sale. But his very recent past has not yet abandoned him, leading him to talk about why he’s so mad at Daryl Morey, his former executive and mentor both at the Houston Rockets and more recently in Pennsylvania. In a long interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Harden explained the reason for his hatred towards Morey, repeatedly called “a liar” over the summer to force the break. “I was told by Morey that they would renew me at the maximum salary” said Harden, specifying that the discussion between his representatives and the head of the Sixers management took place “before the start of last year’s playoffs“, therefore between March and April 2023. Discussions that the Sixers have always denied, as far as the “sacrifice” made by Harden in the summer of 2022 giving up $14.4 million to allow the team to sign PJ Tucker and Danuel House made one think that there was a sort of tacit agreement between the player and the franchise to “recover” what was sacrificed a year after the salary cut. However, the fluctuating performances in the playoffs made the team change their minds, and once the promised max contract did not arrive Harden exercised the player option available to him while simultaneously asking to be sold. An eventuality that then manifested itself during the current season, resolving an issue that at least Harden is unable to leave behind completely.
