Almost every single NBA player is driven by money and the desire to win. For James Harden, these two things have never been more important, which has led to one of the league's most mysterious situations.
Harden requested a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this offseason after opting into his $35.6 million contract for the 2023-24 season. While it seemed like both sides would work towards finding a solution that favored both the team and the player, this has not been the case.
In the midst of August with the start of training camp out on the horizon, Harden's future in the NBA is extremely uncertain at this time given his unwillingness to sacrifice. Then again, not all the blame can be cast on the ten-time All-Star, as the Sixers appear to be the ones at fault for this relationship falling a part. This, of course, is according to Harden.
On Monday, videos of Harden talking about his situation surfaced and rapidly began circulating on social media with him stating that Daryl Morey, Philadelphia's president of basketball operations, is a “liar” and that he would never be a part of an organization that Morey is a part of. Harden, who is currently overseas on a tour in China, made this jaw-dropping statement just days after reports surfaced suggesting that the 76ers would not be trading the guard this offseason due to their position as a championship contender in the NBA.
A trade that put Philadelphia at the forefront of the Eastern Conference title conversation and one that helped Joel Embiid capture the league's MVP award this past season has quickly turned into the most toxic and questionable situation across the league.
The relationship Harden and Morey shared with one another is the main reason why he even ended up on the Sixers in 2022, but a lot has transpired over the last three to four years with Harden and the way he approaches each season. His mindset and overall goals are unknown with him set to turn 34 years old at the end of the month, which is why it is not that surprising to see this current drama unfold, especially when you look back to when everything started in 2018 with the Houston Rockets.
Harden's time with Houston Rockets (2017-2020)
With the Rockets, Harden was arguably the most dominant offensive player in the game. He led the league in scoring for three consecutive seasons (2017-2020), an achievement only six total players in league history have ever accomplished, and Harden had Houston on the doorstep of the NBA Finals during the 2017-18 season.
Despite having to face Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in the 2018 Western Conference Finals, Harden and the Rockets took a 3-2 series lead and it appeared as if they were going to reach the Finals for the first time since 1995. Houston went on to lose Game 6 of this series by nearly 30 points, followed by a 101-92 defeat in Game 7 on their home floor. This was the infamous game where the Rockets missed 27 straight three-pointers.
This was truly the start of the decline in Houston, as things were never the same after this loss to the Warriors. During the 2018-19 season, the Rockets went on to lose to Golden State in the Western Conference Semifinals, followed by another loss in the semifinals to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2019-20 season.
Harden wanted Chris Paul with him in Houston, so Morey, who was in charge of the Rockets' front office, went out and added the future Hall of Fame point guard. Harden then wanted Russell Westbrook next to him during the 2019-20 season after things with Paul did not work out and Morey once again found a way to pull off a big trade to please his star. The relationship between executive and player could not have been better in Houston and despite the team's lack of overall success in the postseason, things were still trending in the right direction.
Unfortunately, the relationship between Morey and Paul went in a different direction compared to that of Morey and Harden. Following their defeat in the 2020 Western Conference Semifinals, the Rockets searched for ways to drastically improve their championship odds and the bond Harden shared with Westbrook, his former teammate with the Oklahoma City Thunder, stood out. As a result, the Rockets pulled off a huge trade with the Thunder that involved Paul and draft picks, a move that did not sit well with the future Hall of Famer.
“My initial reaction? I was shocked,” Paul told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated and Andscape after the trade. “Truth be told, I just talked to Daryl a couple days before the trade and he said he wasn’t going to trade me [to Oklahoma City]. That’s funny because that is going to be the alert that pops up on everybody’s phone because nobody knows that. But what the hell, I just said it.”
The trust between Paul and Morey was broken during this time and whether he got one side or both sides of the story, Harden definitely heard the noise in the immediate aftermath of this deal. Morey breaking his trust with Paul in this situation may very well have lingering effects on how things are shaping up today.
The 2019-20 season did not go well for the Rockets, as mentioned above, and the writing for Harden's departure appeared on the wall. Houston was ousted from the playoffs by the Lakers in September, as a result of the season being out on pause and things continuing in the NBA Bubble.
Just about one month later, Morey stepped down as general manager of the team due to personal reasons. This was after Houston's ownership backed Morey and claimed that his job security was not in doubt. Morey, who Harden held a very close relationship with through the years, was now gone, adding more speculation as to if the Rockets' star would be the next to leave.
Westbrook was then dealt to the Washington Wizards in December after Harden told him he was thinking about requesting a trade from Houston and sure enough, that request was met in January 2021, as Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets.
Harden's time with Brooklyn Nets (2021-2022)
Harden being on the Brooklyn Nets alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving is truly the greatest “what if” story line in league history. What if Harden was healthy in the 2021 playoffs? What if Durant's toe was not on the line in Game 7 against the Milwaukee Bucks? What if these three stars were actually able to play with one another?
The main reason why he was traded to the Nets was because Harden had a desire to play alongside Irving and reunited with Durant, another former teammate of his with the Thunder. Brooklyn, which sacrificed assets such as Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince and several first-round draft picks, went all-in to make this dream of having three superstars compete for a title together their reality.
When they were all on the floor together, the Nets were virtually unstoppable. There was nothing any of the other 29 teams across the NBA could do about the trio of Durant, Irving and Harden. Injuries are undefeated, though, and as a result, these three stars only played in a total of 16 games with one another from January 2021 through September 2022.
The chance to win a championship and play alongside two of his friends were the two driving forces for Harden initially wanting to join the Nets, but things went south quickly. Between Irving being ineligible to play in games and practice due to the vaccine requirements in New York City, as well as some other internal issues, the Nets' relationship with Harden began to fracture to the point where this relationship could not be healed.
Initially telling Durant that he would sign an extension with the Nets, the former Rockets guard was offered a three-year, $161 million deal that would have paid him over $50 million per season. Harden bet on himself instead and looked to chase a four-year, $224 million contract in free agency instead, declining Brooklyn's offer. Whether things went sideways in these negotiations or whatever the case may be, Harden went from loving Brooklyn to hating the situation he was in, which brings us to the 76ers.
Harden's time with Philadelphia 76ers (2022 – present)
Even before Harden was traded to the Sixers, the organization made a huge move in their front office by naming Daryl Morey as their president of basketball operations, just about a full month after he left the Rockets. The 76ers hired Morey in November 2020 and when Ben Simmons failed to prove that he can be an effective No. 2 option alongside Joel Embiid, Philadelphia put Harden on their radar.
Timing was everything in this situation, as Harden grew frustrated with Brooklyn and the 76ers were looking to add another superstar to make a real championship push. A deal came together ahead of the trade deadline in 2022, as the Sixers acquired Harden from the Nets, along with Paul Millsap, in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks, one in 2022 and one in 2027 that is protected.
While they lost in the Eastern Conference Finals yet again, the Sixers proved that they were real title threats with their superstar duo of Harden and Embiid. Everything was working for the 76ers and their new star, especially since he was reunited with Morey in Philadelphia.
Last offseason, Harden even decided to take a near $14 million pay cut in order for the team to have the ability to bring in players like P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr., two others who he spent time with in Houston. Morey was truly “getting the band back together” on the 76ers and his relationship with Harden could not have been stronger.
At least, that is what they wanted us to believe.
Promises are made across the league all the time, but they are not always kept. That seems to be the problem right now, which has led to his negative feelings towards the Sixers' executive. Ever since Harden took that initial pay cut in 2022, the league has been suspicious of the organization and the sense based on multiple reports is that there was a “handshake agreement” between the All-Star and management for Harden to receive a long-term extension this offseason as a reward for his loyalty.
Should this actually be the case, it makes sense for Harden to feel the way he does, as the Sixers and Morey basically betrayed him by not offering him said long-term extension. Then again, there is really no way to tell if this is true and if he really did not want to be in Philadelphia anymore, he could have left this summer as an unrestricted free agent.
Harden owned a $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season, as mentioned previously, and he decided to opt into this deal in hopes of being traded. It is known across the league that he would like to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers right now to team up with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, but the Sixers are not going to be giving their star guard up for less value than they believe they deserve. The thinking in Philadelphia is that this is a championship roster with Harden right now, so why give him what he wants and get zero value back?
In order for a trade between the Clippers and 76ers to happen, the Sixers are going to need to get a player, or multiple players, in return that can not only keep them in a position to contend for a title, but compete at the highest possible level like they were with Harden leading their backcourt. Based on what Los Angeles has to offer and what they are willing to offer knowing they are in the driver's seat in this situation, the Clippers are not wanting to surrender any real value. This is one of the main reasons why trade talks have fallen apart.
The real question that has presented itself right now is whether or not Harden will report to training camp at the end of September, as this is truly when he can start causing some damage. Should he show up, who knows what kind of attitude he will have and if he would even be willing to participate at the level the team is wanting him at. On the flip side of things, if Harden was to sit out of training camp and mandatory workouts, he would be fined and face some future financial penalties.
A return to the 76ers seems impossible at this point. Harden does not want to be there, he's called out the front office and it is hard to imagine that Embiid and the rest of the team would welcome his presence after he made it known all offseason long that he does not want to be in Philadelphia.
Harden's future entering 2023-24 season
A lot is going to unfold between Harden and the Sixers over the course of the next ten weeks leading up to the start of the 2023-24 NBA season. He wants a trade and the organization does not want to trade him, which is why the decision sort of falls on Harden's shoulders here.
He can sit out and continue to demand a trade by not showing up to training camp in September and continuing to vocalize his displeasure for Morey and the organization. Then again, this is not necessarily the best look for a player who is wanting to get a fresh start with another team for the fourth consecutive year.
There is also some possible restrictions and problems Harden could run into here with the league's CBA agreement, as ESPN's Bobby Marks recently pointed out. Per the section on Withholding Services, any player who withholds playing services called for by a Player Contract for more than thirty (30) days after the start of the last Season covered by his Player Contract shall be deemed not to have “complet[ed] his Player Contract by rendering the playing services called for thereunder.”
As a result, this player will not be a Veteran Free Agent and they cannot negotiate or sign a Player Contract with any other professional basketball team unless and until the Team for which the player last played expressly agreed otherwise. This means that the 76ers would have the power in terms of negotiations regarding Harden, a road the star does not want to go down.
So what ultimately went wrong here, especially since Harden and Morey had been so close?
Everything that has transpired over the last several years involving trades stems from Harden's unwillingness to commit. Whether he just wants one last, high-paying contract or something else, Harden has been extremely closed-minded ever since he was traded from the Rockets and there is truly no telling as to what he ultimately wants at this point in his career.
He was the face of the franchise in Houston and could have made over $50 million per year there, but he opted to contend for a title with the Nets instead. Then he was offered yet another long-term deal to remain in Brooklyn alongside Durant and Irving, but that was not good enough for him either. He's now in Philadelphia and was a major reason why Embiid was able to win the 2022-23 NBA MVP award, but now there seems to be more ongoing, internal conflict happening with Harden.
At the end of the day, it's truly no surprise to see Harden still on the Sixers' roster because what team around the league is going to want to deal with this? It is the same story every single year and while he wants to go to the Clippers, there is no telling if that would be a one-year rental type of deal for Los Angeles.
He is still a fantastic player and one of the best playmakers in the league, but Harden has turned himself into the NBA's greatest liability who cannot be trusted in terms of settling down with one team on a new, long-term deal. While Harden's career is certainly not over, what has happened with the Sixers may have shortened his career by a handful of years.
By opting into his contract for the 2023-24 season, Harden agreed to play for the 76ers. Should he decide to sit out and not hold up his end of the contract, he will only make this situation worse for himself. Philadelphia is in trouble in terms of figuring out what their long-term outlook is and Harden has put himself in an even worse situation. Currently trapped with no escape, a future where less money is beginning to present itself has appeared.
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