The soap opera between James Harden, Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers has been closed for a few weeks. The guard has left the Sixers to settle with the Los Angeles Clippers but the separation and what happened in the months leading up to it continue to cause discussion.
Harden revealed to The Athletic that the reason for his quarrel with Morey is that the executive had promised him a contract at the maximum wage before the start of the Playoffs, only to go back on his word in the following weeks.
During the off-season we always talked about how to improve the roster but last year it didn’t happen. So I realized that something was going on, as a smart person I started thinking about how to move. At the end of the day it is a business: he has to do what is best for his franchise, I what is most convenient for me and my family. I started looking for an arrangement where I could earn good money and be able to compete at the highest level, like the one I found at the Clippers. It wasn’t easy because competitive teams didn’t have much leeway at the salary level. I sacrificed a lot, money-wise and role-wise on the court, to go to Philadelphia because I wanted to end my career there. When I realized they were holding a trap for me, I acted accordingly, deciding to exercise the player option, knowing that I would leave after a few days or weeks, it was the best choice for my career and my loved ones.
After that, Harden spoke again about his personal relationship with Morey.
A player-manager bond never seen in history, for me it was like a marriage. Instead of coming to me and telling me they couldn’t offer me what I wanted, he just pushed me aside. He disrespected me, people started talking bad about me but in the end the good guys always win. Impossible to mend our relationship: there is too much money, too much disrespect, and too much loss of trust on my part to go back.
