James Harden sounds off on Sixers' Tyrese Maxey following trade to Clippers

While James Harden left no doubt in anyone's mind that he had some bad blood with Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey, it appears to be virtually all love between the guard and his former teammates.

Following the trade which sent Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers, the 10-time NBA All-Star was asked about one player specifically — Tyrese Maxey, and he gave a glowing review.

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Gina Mizell revealed the interesting bit the 34-year-old said about Maxey.

“I can only expect great things from Tyrese, just because of the amount of work I know he puts in,” Harden said Sunday afternoon from the Clippers’ team hotel in Manhattan. “He’s in the gym. He loves it, so the results are going to happen for him in a great way. I’m excited for him.

“Hopefully, he can have an opportunity to make an All-Star team and really show his game. I’m definitely excited for his growth and his maturity.”

The comments come after Maxey gave his own extremely positive review of Harden, whom he credited with helping to improve his court vision and the fact that the former Sixers guard took him "under his wing."

"I texted [Harden] telling him I love him and I appreciate him ... One thing that he really instilled in me is confidence. I've always been a confident person, but he made me even more confident than I already was ... He took me under his wing, taught me a lot of things," Maxey told reporters.

The debate over how Harden will fit with his new team has been an ongoing one, and it's bound to draw no shortage of attention.