PHILADELPHIA — Daryl Morey’s only leverage is the impression that he is already drawing dead.
The Sixers are not going to be able to compete with the Celtics or the Heat and probably not the Bucks. It makes no difference to them if they trade James Harden or not. Worse comes to worst, he gets $35 million and they get his salary off the books. Anybody who wants that to happen a year ahead of time needs to pay for the privilege.
The longer it goes without that happening, the more leverage Morey has. Harden gets closer to the point where it’s worth playing for somebody rather than nobody. The Sixers get closer to the point where he is officially a sunk cost. Everyone else gets closer to a point where they are the team they are instead of the team they could be with Harden.
