Boston Celtics fans have had the pleasure of sitting back and enjoying the James Harden show this week. The Philadelphia 76ers star has apparently had enough with the team’s front office, specifically Daryl Morey, and no longer wants to be a part of the organization.
How do we know? Because he said that… twice.
“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden said at an event in China, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. “Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.”
James Harden: “Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of. Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.” pic.twitter.com/AmHJ0WwbF2
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 14, 2023
The 34-year-old guard reportedly requested a trade from Philadelphia earlier this summer. Fast forward six weeks later, and he’s still a member of the 76ers. This whole saga comes less than two months after Harden opted into the final year of his contract with the team.
Boston Celtics legend Kevin McHale rips into James Harden
One person who’s got plenty of experience with the 2018 MVP is Boston Celtics legend, Kevin McHale. McHale served as Harden’s coach with the Houston Rockets from 2013-15, where he also worked alongside Morey.
Boston’s No. 32 chatted with Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett about The Beard’s fallout with Philly, ripping into his former star player.
“James wanted a big extension from Philly, and Philly wouldn’t give it to him, and that’s not a Daryl decision,” McHale told Bulpett. “Daryl’s got a part of that, of course, but that’s an owner decision. So (Harden) was really mad, saying Daryl lied to him, but, you know, maybe they saw Game 7 against the Celtics (9 points on 3-for-11 shooting in a 24-point loss) and said, ‘I’m not interested in that.’”
McHale then detailed the similar fallout he’d had with Harden, in his final days as Rockets head coach.
“The next year he came to camp, he was fat and didn’t feel like playing, and I got fired (11) games into the season,” McHale said. “He had a plan.”