The Philadelphia 76ers stand unmoved by the recent desperate call of James Harden against Daryl Morey as they still expect the All-Star to appear for them later in the training camp, sources told Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Further added by Pompey, Morey wasn’t even surprised by the public outcry by Harden, who made it personal upon calling him a “liar” during his Adidas tour in China.
Upon picking up his $35.6MM player option for the 2023/24 season, Harden immediately filed his trade request with the L.A. Clippers being his preferred landing spot. Philadelphia connected with Los Angeles for a potential pact, but a deal didn’t take place featuring the star guard.
The absence of significant trade progress prompted the Sixers to pull out Harden on the trade market. In response, the 33-year-old made it clear that he won’t participate in the team’s training camp and on the upcoming campaign of the club next season.
The epicenter of Harden’s frustration can be located in his disgruntled belief of failing to have a potential free agency case with the Sixers. Reports have surfaced that Morey and the Sixers didn’t grant him a new, much more lucrative contract to follow up on the financial sacrifices he made for the team last year.
Should Harden maintain his stiff stand until the Sixers’ September training camp, there would be a massive implication that will take place under the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
