James Harden has another new opportunity in his NBA career and a fresh chance to redefine his legacy after being traded to the Clippers last month. Instead of being remorseful about how the situation in Philadelphia ended and the dissolution of his longtime friendship with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, Harden tells Sam Amick of The Athletic, “People were throwing dirt on my name, but the good guys always win.”
In the in-depth interview, Harden claims that Morey promised him a max contract in 2023 after he took less money in 2022 to help the Sixers fortify their roster. Harden adds that he was expecting Morey to honor that promise, but he could tell something had changed when Morey stopped communicating with him after the team’s playoff run ended.
“Yeah, me and Daryl had a really good relationship. So (in the past), a week or two after we lose in the playoffs, it would be all about trying to figure out how to improve the team,” Harden said. “(They’d talk about) ‘How do we get better?’ And that’s been going on for 10-plus years, you know what I mean? And then this year, there was no communication. And at that point, it’s like, ‘OK, I see what’s going on.’ I’m very intelligent. So then I just figure out, ‘What’s my next move, and what do I want to do?’ So I understand that, at the end of the day, this is a business. And just like he has to do what’s best for his organization, I’ve got to do what’s best for me and my family. It’s as simple as that.”
Instead of turning down his $35.6MM player option for this season, Harden decided to exercise it shortly before the deadline in late June while asking the organization for a trade. He believes that allowed him to keep some leverage toward winding up with a contender, as virtually all the teams with cap room were rebuilding.
“It would have looked different for sure,” Harden says of potentially testing the free agent market. “The teams that are growing, or young, were gonna have the money, but that doesn’t make sense. And then the competitive teams don’t have the money. So all in all, it would have probably ended up with me looking Philly in the face again. So it was strategic, and people can talk and say (things), but they have no idea (without being) in this situation. Like I continue to say, I made the best decision for myself and my family.”
Harden addresses several other topics in the interview. Here are a few highlights:
On the long wait between picking up his option and being traded:
“No, I wasn’t sweating. It was just patience, because the day that I opted in, there was a conversation and communication (with the Sixers) about it being a 10-day process. This was gonna happen within 10 days, and then it got dragged out for four and a half months or however long it was. So at that point, you’re holding my life up, holding everybody else’s life up. You’re making it look crazier than what it is. And something that we had internal conversations about is basically dragging out, so it was a little frustrating. All in all, I’d sacrificed all that to go to Philly with some people that I trusted, and it bit me in the ass, you know what I mean? So it’s part of life, and we all go through certain things, so it’s gonna make me tougher.”
On his interest in going back to Houston, which he said included a meeting between his representatives and new Rockets coach Ime Udoka:
“Where is the personnel for that on that team? And in the last three or four years, what have I been trying to accomplish (in terms of play-making)? You can answer that for yourself. Now the meeting was had, and those conversations about style of play, how I’ve been playing and things like that (took place). But (the idea of) me going out there and averaging 30-something points a game — who wants to do that?”
Whether there’s eventually a chance to reconcile with Morey:
“There’s too much money, too much respect (lost) and too much loyalty on my end to even double back (with Morey). There’s nothing to talk about. There’s nothing to talk about. This is real money.”
“And at that point, it’s like, ‘OK, I see what’s going on.’ I’m very intelligent. So then I just figure out”
– I cant stop laughing at this.
Hahahahahaha
If you have to point out that you are intelligent, then you aren’t.
100% whether it’s Harden, Trump, or anyone else, when they said “I’m very intelligent” it’s a dead giveaway that they’re not too bright.
Bro thinks he’s the main character .
To be fair, he did sign a team friendly deal and gave back millions on his option to accommodate PHIL. I’d be pissed to if I took a pay cut with a promise of something the following year.
He made 90 million plus for 2 years. Put up 20 pts and 10 helpers. Choked at crunch time. See ya.
The idea of going out and putting up 30-plus points a game, doing everything one can to pad his personal stat line and advance his standing in record books because that is the only way he can secure his sense of self worth in the game? Who wants to do that?, James Harden asks. Who would make their career about his personal pursuit of glory rather than team success? Who would waste their talent chasing that?
Honestly I don’t see a point in Harden’s career where he chased personal glory over team success.
The last season in which Harden put 30+ PPG was a long time ago in Houston when the coach’s entire game plan was to give it to Harden and see what happens. To be fair it almost worked. That Rockets team were the only team other than Cleveland who had the guts to even try to compete with the Warriors.
When he got traded to Houston he agreed to be the third option because it made the most sense. Durant was obviously the better scoring option and Kyrie has no other discernable skills other than scoring. He also most likely shortened his prime by coming back too early from a major injury in the playoffs because the team needed him.
He took a pay cut in Philly so the team could sign some other guys to round out the team and give them a better chance of winning. Then in a contract season he sacrificed his own numbers and fed his teammate an MVP award.
Basic format for interviewing James Harden…
(question)
Harden: Me.
(question)
Harden: Me.
(question)
Harden: Me.
(question)
Harden: Me.
(question)
Harden: Me. It’s all me.
Except if the question is “Who is at fault”
It would be quite stupid to answer a bunch of questions asked about yourself with responses that were about anything other than yourself.
Sorry, James…
My God will we ever be done with James Harden stories? No one cares. He is an egotistical ahole who still thinks he is a top player and has to leave when his failures are exposed
Any person, regardless of who they are, who proclaims to anyone else that they are intelligent, is anything else but intelligent. Particularly when it’s proclaimed for the world to see like he did.
There is going to be a tremendous piling-on. It’s going to be fun to watch.
I hope other players heckle and trash-talk the hell out of Harden on the court. I also hope the fans do the same. He’ll never hear the end of this.
I would actually think he’s very respected among his peers. I know not all, maybe a good number, don’t agree with how he does some things, but I Bet he means a Lot to his colleagues.
To expect he Will be trash talked and heckled by his NBA peers for this, is Big time unrealistic imho
Morey backing down on his promises is wild and really messed up now it’s understandable why Harden acted the way he did to get out of there.
Harden says Morey promised him the max and it wasn’t until after the playoffs he questioned whether it would still happen. If that’s the case why did Harden and his agents start leaking rumors about a return to Houston starting around Christmas time?
I’m wicked Smaat
Not really a surprise Harden loses everywhere he goes. Is there a more delusional player in the league?
He didn’t even get traded to a contender
Okay, so he wants a max contract AND he wants to play for a winner? And to accomplish this he signed the extension and then asked for a trade?
And he’s intelligent!?!?
The good guys do always win, and Morey won.
James has made a few hundred million dollars by now. If he really was done with Philly and wanted to end up on a contender, I’m sure a mid-level exception would have been out there for him. I guess money first, team second, winning third.
If Morey promised Harden a max contract then why didn’t Harden cooperate or confirm it during the month where the NBA commissioner was investigating that very thing? He just went silent instead.
If hardens claim is correct then that changes the whole narrative. But this is the first I’m hearing of him directly saying it and the NBA also got no confirmation that happened.
tampering, right?
Morey and Philly… what douche bags, right?
One must wonder why no star wants to go there, right?!?!?
Simply put: he’s a diva.
The ego of this fool is hilarious…
Philly is better without him, he did them a bigger favour asking for the trade than taking the pay cut…
There’s two sides to every story. He disappeared in game 6 and 7 against Boston. It left a bad test in everyone’s mouth. Maxey and Embiid choked too but the one thing the sixers could reasonably move on from was Harden. It’s common sense and the amount of hard feelings for a guy that has made 250 million in the nba and then over 250 million in endorsements is just strange. Own up to it man and move forward.
Finally, I see a take I agree with. Harden saw he was going to be the scapegoat, it was going to be someone other than Embiid. Because Embiid has shown no ability to take responsibility for the failures of this team.
Harden didn’t want to stick around for the Ben Simmons’ treatment.
Who cares
It’s comical. The NBA conducted two separate investigations into whether PHI promised Harden a max deal (or any deal) a year in advance. On both occassions, Harden, the star witness, said they did not. If he had said otherwise, or even equivocated, Morey wouldn’t still be the FO chief in PHI.
I don’t like Morey on any front, and he may be a liar. But, we know, that Harden is a liar. He either lied in two league investigations or he’s lying now.