Make no mistake about it. While it may seem that the James Harden trade buzz had died down a bit, the fact of the matter is that the former league MVP is still on his way out of the Philadelphia 76ers — or at least this is what Harden himself believes. NBA insider Shams Charania has recently provided a crucial update on the 33-year-old's current situation with the Sixers and as of right now, all signs are still pointing to Harden's looming exit.

According to Shams, Harden's relationship with Sixers executive Daryl Morey has come to a point where it has become somewhat irreparable:

“The relationship between James Harden and Daryl Morey, the president of basketball operations in Philadelphia, it's essentially severed,” Shams said. “It's essentially fractured throughout this process. … Everyone around the Sixers, they know that he's been incredibly unnerved about how the team has handled his potential free agency.”

Shams points out that Harden's ire stems from how poorly he feels Morey and the Sixers handled his contract situation this summer. Harden made a major financial sacrifice last summer in order for Philly to add more pieces, and his reward came in the form of the 76ers' unwillingness to offer him a long-term extension. According to Charania, Harden remains intent on forcing a move to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Let's not forget that Harden and Morey go way back. These two spent years together with the Houston Rockets, and it was Morey who is credited for recruiting James to Philly. This speaks volumes of how bad the situation has developed in that the bridge between these two appears to have been burned.

“We’ve seen how James Harden can come into camp when he’s disgruntled,” Shams added. “… There's not that relationship between Daryl Morey and James Harden is nowhere close to being on solid ground.”