According to NBA insider Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, the trade package the Philadelphia 76ers received from the Los Angeles Clippers for James Harden was not the return Sixers president Daryl Morey wanted.
However, Philadelphia ownership pushed Morey to make the deal since the Harden trade drama was getting out of control.
“From everything that I’ve been told, this was not a package trade that Daryl Morey wanted,” Goodwill said on The Ball Don’t Lie Podcast. “This was a trade that was made essentially by the Philadelphia 76ers ownership. They had told Daryl Morey to get a deal done now.”
The Sixers traded Harden to the Clippers for Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nicolas Batum, KJ Martin, a 2028 unprotected first-round pick, two second-round picks, a 2029 pick swap and an additional first-round pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden, Daryl Morey, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
Harden called Morey a “liar” in August during his Adidas tour in China after a Clippers trade didn’t happen following his decision to pick up his 2023-24 player option. The Beard said on October 13 that there was no chance of his relationship with Morey being repaired.
“No,” Harden said when asked directly whether he thought things could get patched up with Morey. “This is not even about this situation — this is in life. When you lose trust in someone, it’s like a marriage … you lose trust in someone, you know what I mean? It’s pretty simple.”
Harden averaged 21.0 points and 10.6 assists in 79 games with the Sixers. However, Philadelphia never got past the second round of the playoffs.
Harden becomes an unrestricted free agent next offseason. The lefty started 58 games for the Sixers last season. He averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists and led the NBA in assists per game for the second time in his career.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden, Daryl Morey, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
The Sixers will now build around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Philadelphia wanted to get two first-round picks out of a Harden trade. The team believes that those assets give them a chance to pursue another high-level player in a trade to partner with Embiid and Maxey.
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