Daryl Morey claims Clippers are being unserious about James Harden
The Philadelphia 76ers are trying to fulfill James Harden’s trade request and get him to the Los Angeles Clippers, his preferred destination. Harden had been a true professional since he rejoined the team at training camp, but he did not attend practice on Wednesday which could be a sign of things to come.
President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey is trying to do right by both the player and the franchise. Harden wants to go to the Clippers and Morey understands that as he is looking to get him there. However, he also has to make sure the Sixers get the right pieces in return for the future Hall of Famer.
Per The Athletic, Morey claims that the Clippers are pretty unserious about any Harden deal:
Despite the Sixers indicating that they would accept an offer of a Clippers’ unprotected first-round pick, first-round pick swap, players to match the salaries and Mann, two people involved in the negotiations say Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank reiterated the team’s stance that Mann would not be part of their offer. Morey, those people say, expressed his disbelief and accused the Clippers of being “unserious” about getting a deal done. He even quipped that they should just trade Clippers star Paul George for Harden if they were so determined to keep all of their lesser assets — a request that was immediately denied.
It really is interesting why the Clippers will not include Terance Mann in the deal. Morey is not being unreasonable here. An unprotected pick, a pick swap, and Mann is a more than reasonable ask for a guy who just led the league in assists and is somebody who can still put up big scoring numbers.
Either way, due to the Clippers being stubborn in this situation, the Sixers are unfortunately stuck with Harden and his unpredictable actions on a daily basis as they prepare for the new season.
