Sixers’ James Harden: ‘Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of’

The 76ers have a serious problem, one that is not likely to be ending any time soon.

James Harden didn’t bite his tongue when speaking about his disdain for 76ers president Daryl Morey.

“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden said at his event while in China. “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.”

The video, which surfaced Monday morning, comes after word broke Saturday that the Sixers have ended trade talks involving Harden. They plan to bring him back for the start of the season. However, there was a report late Saturday night that Harden does not plan to attend training camp.

The video, posted on YouTube, appears to confirm that.

The Sixers, however, are unmoved by Harden’s statement and they still expect him to report to training camp.

A league source said Morey was not surprised by Harden’s commentary and his attempt to make things personal given his agent’s reaction this past weekend to being informed that the Sixers weren’t able to find a suitable deal.

Training camp begins on Oct. 3, with the Sixers likely training at a remote destination for the second consecutive year. The Sixers are slated to open the season at the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 24. They’ll also have a Christmas Day game at the Miami Heat. The 82-game regular season will conclude on April 14, 2024.

Since Harden is in the final year of his deal — and cannot negotiate an extension — he could be penalized if he refuses to report to training camp.

According to the collective bargaining agreement, any player who “withholds playing services for more than 30 days after the start of the last season covered by his contract” could be deemed to have violated his contract and forbidden from entering free agency and signing with another team until the team he last played for “expressly agrees otherwise.”

The point guard informed the Sixers that he wanted to be traded on June 29 when he picked up the $35.6 million player option on his contract for the upcoming season. At the time, the Sixers’ second-best player made it known that he preferred to be shipped to the Los Angeles Clippers.

However, the Sixers wanted a king’s ransom for Harden, who will be 34 on Aug. 26 and is on the decline in his career.

» READ MORE: Murphy: James Harden was dumb to put the Sixers in a corner. He’d be even dumber to double down.

The team was only willing to trade the 10-time All-Star for draft picks, an elite player, or a young player who can turn into one.

“If we don’t get a very good player or something we can turn into a very good player, then we’re just not going to do it,” Morey said July 18 on The Anthony Gargano Show on WPEN-FM 97.5 The Fanatic.

The problem is, trade talks this summer between the Sixers and the Clippers have been lifeless. The Sixers were unwilling to come off their lofty demands. However, the Clippers and other NBA teams are reluctant to give up an All-Star caliber player and/or multiple first-round picks for a player who has lost at least a step and is on an expiring contract.

A year ago, Harden took less money to help Morey and the Sixers.

Harden took a $15 million pay cut and signed a two-year deal with a player option in the second year. This comes after he opted out of his $47.36 million player option for the 2022-23 season.

By picking up that option, the perennial All-NBA selection would have been eligible to sign a four-year, $233 million contract extension that would pay him $61.7 million in the 2026-27 season.

But his opting out allowed the Sixers to bolster their depth and toughness during free agency by signing veteran forward P.J. Tucker with the full mid-level exception and forward Danuel House with the biannual exception.

League sources, however, said Harden was upset with Morey for not negotiating a contract with him before this summer’s free agency period. Without any options, Harden opted into his deal in June with the hope of being traded to the Clippers.

» READ MORE: Why the Sixers have flexibility to remake their roster around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey

The whole situation led to Harden no longer having a relationship with Morey.

But according to sources, acquiring Harden was part of the reason Morey was named team president on Nov. 2, 2020.

Former Sixers minority owner Michael Rubin wanted to bring Harden to the Sixers to form a dominant duo with Joel Embiid. Morey had a great relationship with Harden from their days with the Houston Rockets. He was the team’s analytics-driven general manager and Harden was its three-time scoring champion.

Morey attempted to reunite with Harden during the 2020-21 season, offering Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle as part of a trade package. However, the Rockets eventually traded him to the Brooklyn Nets, where the 2018 MVP was part of a Big Three with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

The Sixers acquired Harden from the Nets for a package that included Simmons in February 2022. Now, he refuses to play for the man who brought him to Philadelphia.