After opting into the final year of his contract with the Philadelphia 76ers this summer, superstar guard James Harden let it be known that he wanted the team to trade him before the start of the 2023-24 NBA season. This was a surprising development, as it was expected that he’d either sign an extension with the team or simply leave as an unrestricted free agent by opting out of his deal.
As if that wasn’t bad enough for the 76ers, things got really ugly after this trade demand, with Harden blasting the team’s general manager Daryl Morey during an event in China by calling him a liar in a very public setting. This resulted in a strained relationship with the 76ers while also making the NBA take notice and issue a stiff fine.
Now Harden is with the team during training camp and gave some context on what went wrong with Morey, claiming the relationship is irreparable moving forward via ESPN.
“No,” Harden said flatly, when asked directly whether he thought things could get patched up with Morey. “This is not even about this situation — this is in life.
“When you lose trust in someone, it’s like a marriage … you lose trust in someone, you know what I mean? It’s pretty simple.”
Unfortunately, Harden doesn’t reveal anything in terms of what the relationship got ruined over. This obviously leads to speculation that maybe a promise was made and then not gone through with, leading to the uncharacteristic outburst by the one-time NBA MVP.
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With Harden admitting the relationship can’t be fixed, it’s uncertain what direction the team goes or what the future holds for him.