A year ago, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey described his relationship with James Harden as a “mutual lovefest” before the star guard hit free agency, eventually taking a pay cut to help Philadelphia build out its roster, Marc Stein writes at Substack.
However, a year later, the relationship between Morey and Harden is said to be “essentially fractured,” with the 33-year-old unhappy about how his free agency played out this time around. He has since issued a trade request and is intent on joining the Clippers. Morey publicly confirmed last week that the rift was over Harden’s contract and the Sixers’ unwillingness to meet his ask.
Should the Sixers regret trading for Harden? Despite rumors to the contrary, sources tell Stein that the Kings never offered Tyrese Haliburton in any trade with the Sixers for Ben Simmons ahead of the February 2022 deadline. Haliburton, of course, ended up getting moved to Indiana in a multiplayer deal that sent back All-NBA big man Domantas Sabonis, while Simmons was sent to Brooklyn as part of the package for Harden.
Here’s more from Stein:
- The Suns are still interested in Pacers guard T.J. McConnell, league sources tell Stein, but there doesn’t appear to be a viable pathway to a deal at this time. As Stein notes, Phoenix recently traded Cameron Payne to San Antonio, and he was the only obvious salary-matching piece for a possible deal with Indiana. The Suns may revisit a McConnell trade down the road once their free agents become trade-eligible in mid-December, but Stein hears the veteran guard hopes to remain with the Pacers.
- According to Stein, the Pistons initiated trade conversations with the Mavericks in an effort to unload former No. 7 overall pick Killian Hayes, but those talks “gained little traction.” Detroit has several guards on the roster, including multiple offseason additions. Although Dallas remains intrigued by Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic, the team’s top trade priority is believed to be a center upgrade, Stein adds.
- Prior to signing Kemba Walker, EuroLeague club AS Monaco considered signing free agent guard Frank Ntilikina, Stein reports. The No. 8 pick of the 2017 draft, Ntilikina spent his first four seasons with the Knicks and spent the past two seasons with the Mavericks. He appeared in 47 games in 2022/23 for an average of 12.9 MPG.
Figured they’d try to dump Hayes
To be fair to Harden, they definitely screwed him over. Regardless of how YOU perceived his value heading into free agency, he still had actual value to various teams (probably just Houston but you never know). Doing that a year into a relationship where Hardens play elevated Embiid to MVP caliber numbers is just stupid. I can only imagine this was the first step towards the process 4.0 or whatever they’re at now
How exactly did the Sixers screw him over? Harden chose to opt into the final year. He could have signed with Houston or any other team he wanted. Problem was, the market did not produce an offer to his liking. Since the market didn’t want to pay him a max deal, why should the Sixers? It’s not perceived value, his agents knew what would be available to him. Most likely, that was a 3-4 year deal at less than his option annually. Harden CHOSE this situation, he was not screwed over. He could have left and signed with literally anyone, but HE wants max money. Since he couldn’t get it, he took the most money available to him. Sorry James, you aren’t a max player anymore. The market said just as much.
Who said anything about a max contract? If he was willing to take take 2 years at $69 million last off season then I don’t think it would of taken a max contract to keep him in Philly. He’s at the stage of his career where a 3/$90 million or perhaps 4/$100 million with a player option most likely would have been sufficient.
He wanted a max extension. It’s been well publicized since the season ended and the speculation that Houston was going to offer one, it was all nonsense leaked by his agents trying to drive the price up. If he were willing to accept 3/90 or 4/100, he would be in Houston or signed long term in Philly. Problem is that harden wanted more. He wants money and, I may be misquoting a bit, “be able to be him”. I am shocked morey didn’t cave to his demands, but am happy he didn’t. I agree that those contracts are sufficient, harden did not. Or believes those same offers will be there next year so he might as well take the 36 now and get the 25-30 next season
The sixers want clean books going into 2024-25. Harden isn’t getting 20 or 30 million from anybody. He’s a 8 to 10 million maybe after his present contract
Innotsorryisaidthatoyourass….so you’re saying he’s not even worth PJ Tucker money
100% agree. Harden chose this road and how he’s having a sook because the Sixers won’t agree to his his terms on an extension.
There’s no doubt Harden is still a really good basketball player he’s just not a max guy anymore and as he gets older and his play drops off you don’t want to have him attached to a long term expensive deal, that’s just simple business.
As for the other part of the story about any regret over making the deal for Harden, not really. The plan was always championship or bust and going from Ben Simmons to James Harden was a massive step in the right direction the only problem is we haven’t won a championship. We never planned to go young with a guy like Haliburton, so that was never a consideration. Our best chance to win a championship was with Jimmy Butler but we decided to pay Tobias Harris, stick with coach Brett Brown and keep Simmons around. All of which were bad decisions. We should’ve looked to move Ben earlier, sack Brown earlier and let Tobias walk if there was a better offer on the table otherwise offer him a much more fair deal around 25 mil.
Overall “the process” will be viewed as a failure because we never wins championship but it wasn’t the worst idea. We did draft in the MVP and have enough assets to make trades for other all stars but we never managed to put it all together and get it done.
Considering we went from the worst team in the league to a top 5 team, I wouldn’t say we regret it but wish it had been better.
It depends on what implicit agreement/understanding there was between Morey and Harden. Hard to really know who is at fault without knowing those exact details, as well as his specific contract demands. We’re all doing a lot of speculation.
Absolutely ridiculous and uninformed take. Harden obviously had no takers including the clippers. Chose to sign his contract with no guarantees,chose to opt in,chose to go to Philly,chooses to leave the mvp. Now he has no choice.
Nice name. You seem like the kind of person who really considers all points of view per just shouting nonsense in your skull
Seems like I pissed off the anti player – pro ownership side of this board. SSDD lol
Lemme tell you, as a Philly fan, you are all kinds of wrong. Harden was treated quite well since coming over. His shortcomings were mostly accepted, up until the last two games where he didn’t show up. He seemed to have a good relationship with Joel. He got paid. Of course Philly values Harden, but Harden opted in for the purposes of a trade. This sounds like a problem he himself made up.
That’s what happens when teams break their promises to players, right?
Harden has been chronically unhappy everywhere he has been. He wants teams to be committed to him when he won’t commit to the team. Philly should backup the Brinks tr7xvpunk up to Harden’s house and not trade him. Without Harden Philly’s window to win a title closes. Unless they can trade him for something they lack. With Maxey and Melton the guard slots will be okay. A point forward like Pascal Siakam might be just what the doctor ordered for both teams. Harden could turn the Raptors into a playoff team.
He seemed happy in Houston for 8 seasons. Until his final season he never asked for a trade and always just signed extensions, by the time he asked for a trade in his final season that Rockets team had run it’s course. He did them a favor honestly. It gave them the chance to acquire value by the way of draft picks for in a trade along with a badly needed rebuild. It also provided him an opportunity to play for a team that could compete.
Wrong, Harden turned down a 2 year 103 million extension from the lowly rockets before demanding his ill fated trade to the nets.
Ever since Houston, Harden just cannot make up his mind what he wants. It even changes mid-season…
This is why he won’t ever be considered one of the greats, despite all of his talent. He doesn’t have a winning mindset, you’re either all-in or you’re out.
I’m not surprised whatsoever that he’s yet unhappy again, despite him getting his OWN WAY multiple times…He only has himself to blame for the “situation” he’s in now.
If he wanted to really call his own shots, and wanted a MAX deal or a better contract, he shouldn’t have came up so short when it mattered the most….YET AGAIN…
Harden has just turned into a whiny malcontent, and it’s a real shame his own downfal is only his own doing..
TJ back to the state of Arizona would be fun
Raptors would be smart to get Hayes. Still very raw. But I believe in him.
Nobody with a clue ever believed that Haliburton (or anyone of that ilk) was offered for Simmons during the period of his holdout. Morey, in particular, has a history of broadcasting his rejection of offers that were never made. Although somehow he also insisted that he never had deal discussions regarding Simmons.
DET’s FO is comical. If Hayes were any other team’s player, DET would be the first ones bidding on him.
Eh, a LOT of people in Philly do, but either way, I’m not sure the Sixers would have won anyway.
People believe a lot of things, particularly when motivated. Morey’s own statements indicate that he never got close to having the kind of discussions that would almost certainly have to precede an offer for any significant player.
Sure, he did help the Sixers last year by taking less money than he could have got. I’m also not doubting that there was probably some sort of handshake agreement to make good this offseason. The Sixers aren’t innocent here, but they’re also not dumb. Putting a multi-year max contract in Harden’s hands would be suicide for the process.
If Harden was still desirable around the league, he would have signed or been dealt somewhere by now. If he wonders why he’s not in great demand, all he needs to look at is this being the 3rd time in less than three years he’s asked to be dealt. Throw that in with his commitment to staying in shape (obvious sarcasm), his career long poor playoff play, and the NBA cutting back on flopping getting a player to the line, and it’s pretty easy to see why he’s still a Sixer and is unhappy about it.
Harden didn’t “take less” in any magnanimous sense. He agreed to a salary for 2022-23 that was less than his option salary, but in exchange he got an option for 2023-24 which he ended up exercising. Lots of players his age, coming off the season he was in 2021-22 would agree to take less for a current year, in order to get another year. The reason being what happened – a further drop in his market value. It’s a business decision, and if there was a wink and nod, OK, but there didn’t need to be. He’s going to make more the last two seasons than he would have if he exercised his initial option.
Myles Turner and McConnell for Ayton and Camara
First Dame, now James. This is where “loyalty” and “love fests” get you, ladies n gentlemen. Business is business. One side hasn’t forgotten that.
Can we just admit that Morey is a terrible GM and the sixers have almost no shot at a championship with this version of The Process
Pacers need to keep McConnell and trade Buddy Hield for a small forward that can defend.
Hunter on Atlanta