James Harden has made his feelings about the Philadelphia 76ers and Daryl Morey very clear.
Although he at one point envisioned himself playing for the Sixers for the rest of his career, Harden feels as though Morey betrayed him in a very personal way. He has expressed in great detail why this is the case.
At this point, it is a known fact both inside and outside of NBA circles that the Los Angeles Clippers are interested in adding Harden. Philly, it is likewise known, has no other potential suitors for the former league MVP.
Despite that, the two sides have been unable to come to an agreement on a Harden deal. The Clippers are refusing to include two key role players in any conversations. The 76ers have made their asking price clear. A stalemate has ensued.
So far throughout training camp Harden has tried his best not to put too much pressure on Philly. It seemed like he was letting the process play itself out without interfering.
That changed on Wednesday, though.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Harden’s latest form of protesting the 76ers and Morey is by no-showing at a team practice.
“Harden skipped Sixers practice today,” Charania noted.
But the fun times didn’t stop there.
Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report announced on Twitter that Harden was actually “in the city of Houston” and not anywhere near the Sixers’ practice facility. And then Ramona Shelburne of ESPN revealed that the 76ers were looking for Harden to explain his “unexcused absence.”
That is not great.
Complicating matters further is the fact that, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, a deal between Philly and L.A. is nowhere close to being done.
Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill is being accused of something pretty messy: https://t.co/D9hZOpqCX3
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 18, 2023
“Teams have talked in recent days but a sizable gap remains in 76ers and Clippers negotiations on a James Harden trade, sources tell ESPN. There’s been little movement for months on a deal,” he wrote.
How will this entire unfortunate drama ultimately sort itself out? Will Harden eventually get his way and force an exit from the 76ers? An answer to both those questions and more will emerge in the coming days and weeks.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
