Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving strongly reacted to James Harden calling Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey a liar. Irving replied to NBA insider Adrian Wojarnowski’s tweet after Woj called Harden “disgruntled.”
Irving and Harden were teammates on the Brooklyn Nets. Both superstars requested trades from the Nets. Harden has requested trades from the Houston Rockets, Nets and Sixers, while Irving has requested trades from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Nets.
Harden is unhappy with Morey over the lack of a long-term maximum-level contract offer this offseason. The 10-time NBA All-Star wants to get traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Sixers have ended trade talks involving Harden and plan to bring him back to training camp for the start of next season, setting up an awkward situation. Philadelphia had trade conversations with LAC, but no traction on a deal materialized.
The Sixers agreed to search out a trade upon Harden’s request after he agreed to pick up his $35.6 million player option for next season in June. However, Philadelphia’s asking price for Harden was steep and no teams were willing or able to meet it. The Sixers believe they will be a championship contender next season with Harden’s return alongside Joel Embiid and the team is determined to find a way to make it work with Harden, one of the best players in NBA history.
However, according to NBA insider Sam Amick of The Athletic, Harden no longer wants to play for the Sixers and has no plans of taking part in training camp. The lefty requested trades from the Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets and got traded by both franchises.
In 58 games for the Sixers in 2022-23, Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists while shooting 44.1% from the floor, 38.5% from 3 and 86.7% from the free-throw line. He led the NBA in assists per game for the second time in his career.
If Harden isn’t traded before training camp starts and he holds out for more than 30 days, the Sixers can prevent him from entering free agency in the summer of 2024, according to NBA insider Zach Lowe of ESPN. Since Harden is in the final year of his contract, different NBA holdout rules would apply to him if he decided not to report to training camp and play.
Harden and Morey used to be very close. However, their relationship is now completely fractured and Irving wants people to know what Harden is simply holding Morey accountable.
More must-reads: