It’s finally over for Daryl Morey, the long national nightmare.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, a Philadelphia 76ers executive agreed early Tuesday morning to trade 10-time NBA All-Star and one-time MVP James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers.
It’s not apparent what, if anything, the 76ers gained in the transaction.
Harden has yet to play this season, and reports indicate that he was prevented from boarding the team plane for their season-opening two-game road trip last week. Even though the NBA had begun a probe into his absence, Harden was back on the bench for Sunday’s home opener. On Tuesday, he would have returned to team practise and would have been working towards making his debut on Thursday.
Harden, on the other hand, will go across the nation to join the Clippers for the upcoming season. When he will officially make his debut is unknown. The Clippers are 2-1 after their first three games and will face the Magic in Orlando on Tuesday.
Harden requested a trade from the Sixers to the Clippers on the eve of free agency after exercising his $35.6 million option for the 2023-24 season. Harden made his feelings towards the front office plain when news got out to Wojnarowski that Philadelphia had not been able to secure a satisfactory return for Harden and that the 34-year-old was expected to show up for training camp.
Harden told the crowd at a promotional event in China last month, “Daryl Morey is a liar, and I will never be a part of an organisation that he’s a part of.” To make sure the cameras caught it, he repeated the phrase.
A $100,000 fine was handed down by the NBA to Harden for “indicating that he would not perform the services called for under his player contract unless traded to another team.” Harden’s dishonesty may have pertained to his unfulfilled trade request or a potential contract extension that never materialised.
Accоrding tо Keith Pоmpey оf the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mоrey was unfazed by Harden’s criticism and is cоmmitted tо finding a suitable replacement fоr the man he previоusly dubbed “the best оffensive player оf all time.”
Depending оn yоur perspective оf the 2018 MVP’s recent plаy аnd the pаckаge the Sixers will receive in return, yоu mаy аrgue thаt Mоrey either gоt оr gаve up his аsking price in оrder tо trаde Hаrden. Jоel Embiid, the current leаgue MVP, hаs the mоst weighted view оn the subject. His reflectiоns оn the teаm’s recent cаrоusel rоtаtiоn—which hаs seen Ben Simmоns replаced by Jаmes Hаrden—will be cаrefully оbserved.
In 58 games last year, Harden led the NBA with 10.7 assists, was third in the league with 6.1 rebounds, and scored 21 points per game (on 44.39.87 percent shooting) as Philadelphia once again advanced to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The 14-year veteran isn’t as good as he used to be, when he won three straight scoring crowns and placed in the top three of MVP voting for four consecutive seasons (2016-20). Playmaking remained superb despite a drop to a career-low 6.2 free throw attempts per game and a worsening of his already subpar defence for the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2012, he was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year.
Although Harden scored 40 points twice for the 76ers in victories against the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals last season, his average of 12.5 points per game on 21.8% shooting from the field in four losses was a major factor in the series’ eventual outcome. Harden was never a go-to guy in the playoffs, even when he was at the height of his career.
Harden’s health and motivation to win should also be a cause for concern.
Since Harden showed up to Houston’s 2020 training camp out of shape, he has struggled with soft-tissue problems. His 2021 and 2022 postseason performances suffered because of hamstring strains. This past season, he missed 24 games due to injuries (a strained tendon in his right foot and a painful Achilles). After missing no more than nine games in any of his first eleven seasons, he has missed an average of 23 over the past three years.
By turning down a $47.4 million option last summer, he helped the Sixers make room to sign P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr., but it didn’t bring Philadelphia any closer to a championship. Harden also demanded a trade from the Houston Rockets in 2021 and the Brooklyn Nets in 2022 as it became apparent that neither team would give him a chance to win his first ring.
The next chapter in Harden’s bizarre superstar career begins when he signs with his fourth franchise in as many calendar years.