James Harden sparked a massive controversy after he called the president of the Philadelphia 76ers Daryl Morey a “liar.” Harden even said that he will not represent the 76ers while Morey remains in charge. The shocking remarks came just days after it was reported that the 76ers had ended trade talks with the Los Angeles Clippers over Harden’s transfer. Ramona Shelburne, ESPN’s NBA insider, feels that this is just the initial phase in Harden’s trade talk saga. Shelburne drew a comparison with how the 76ers had handled their former guard Ben Simmons last year. The management had imposed a fine of more than $19 million on Simmons for not offering his services to the team. Simmons was handed the fine in February 2022.
“Somebody said to me yesterday, ‘This is only the beginning.’ This is just the beginning of what Harden is going to do to make life very uncomfortable for the Philadelphia 76ers going into training camp. And I think the expectation with Harden is—Ben Simmons, they went through this with Ben Simmons. He didn’t show up to camp, he left money on the table. That’s not going to happen here with James Harden. This is going to be very uncomfortable. Ben Simmons didn’t say anything. Ben Simmons stayed home. It was not loud. This was with a microphone, let me repeat myself. And the phrase I kept hearing was, ‘This is just the beginning,'” Shelburne said.
When asked to share views on his current trade status, James Harden blasted the Philadelphia 76ers president. “Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organisation 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 organisation that he’s a part of,” Harden said at a promotional event in China.
It was believed that Daryl Morey played a key role in bringing James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers in a trade that saw Ben Simmons move to the Brooklyn Nets in September last year. The move, however, did not pay off much. Despite having Harden and reigning NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Joel Embiid in the squad, the 76ers had to concede a defeat to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. The 76ers crashed out having squandered a 3-2 lead against the Celtics.
James Harden, 33, could not participate in 24 matches last season due to injury. Harden opted to secure his USD 35.6 million player option in June in a bid to facilitate a trade. Despite all the rumours surrounding Harden’s potential trade, the 76ers expect to have the 10-time NBA All-Star guard in their team next season.
The NBA 2023-24 regular season is scheduled to start on October 24. The Philadelphia 76ers will face the Boston Celtics in their first pre-season game on October 8.
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