James Harden has discussed his contentious breakup with the Philadelphia 76ers and how his “marriage” to Daryl Morey, the team’s president of basketball operations, fell apart after he broke his word about receiving a max contract.
Harden was subsequently transferred to the LA Clippers, who have had a mediocre season thus far in the NBA’s Western Conference with nine wins and ten losses, following months of rivalry.
Harden and Morey have a lengthy history together. Before Morey subsequently made sure Harden followed him to Philadelphia, they had collaborated with the Houston Rockets.
But when the prospect of a lucrative agreement evaporated, Harden publicly dubbed Morey a “liar,” and relations between the two deteriorated and reached a breaking point in August.
In an interview with The Athletic, Harden discussed the circumstances and acknowledged that their once-strong friendship with Morey quickly deteriorated.
You understand what I mean when I say that it shocked me to no end? I viewed it similarly to a marriage. We discussed a great deal of s***. And we have a lot of s*** that you don’t know or comprehend in front of people.However, rather than approaching me [about free agency] or saying, “All right, James, we don’t want to offer you this, but we have this,” Morey did the opposite. Next, we
You know what I mean? You don’t need folks who are like that. That’s just poor luck, then. Even if my name was being tarnished, the good guys always come out on top.
“A week or two after we lose in the play-offs, it would be all about trying to figure out how to improve the team,” Harden recalled the moment he realized he would have to make a move away from Philadelphia.You know what I mean? That has been going on for more than ten years. And then there was no communication at all this year. It’s like, “Okay, I see what’s going on,” at that moment. I have a high level of intelligence. I simply decide “What’s my next move, and what do I want to do?” at that point.
“I recognize that this is ultimately a business, though. And I have to act in the best interests of my family and myself, just as he does for his organization. That is all there is to it.done