It’s been over two weeks since 10-time All-Star James Harden opted into his $35.6 million player option for next season, with the intent of finding a trade to pave his way off the 76ers. While he remains in Philadelphia for now, don’t expect that to be a sign that his intentions to play elsewhere next season have changed.
That’s because the relationship between Harden and team president Daryl Morey has been “fractured,” according to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania, who expects Harden to be moved eventually.
“It’s essentially severed. It’s essentially fractured throughout this process,” Charania said. “There’s no longer that valve of open-minded, open-ended trust that we’ve seen over the course of 692 games that Daryl Morey and James Harden have been together in Houston and in Philly.”
“The relationship between James Harden and Daryl Morey is essentially severed, it’s essentially fractured throughout this process.”
— The Rally (@TheRally) July 17, 2023
NBA Insider @ShamsCharania has the latest on James Harden. pic.twitter.com/aMhSJ9gDqS
Charania also said that Harden’s dissatisfaction with the team stems from his feeling that the Sixers were not interested in making him a long-term contract offer, particularly after the former MVP took a pay cut last season to help the front office build a better roster. Harden’s preference remains to be traded to the Clippers, though the two sides have not reached an agreement yet on a potential deal.
If Harden is dealt, it would be his third trade since January 2021, when he was shipped from Houston to the Nets. Brooklyn then traded him to Philadelphia on Feb. 10, 2022. Harden played in 58 games for the Sixers last season, averaging 21.0 points per game and a league-high 10.7 assists.
