James Harden Rips Daryl Morey but Has Few Options Due to CBA Clause
Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden denounced the team’s president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey, at an Adidas media event in China during what has already been a strife-filled offseason for the organization and its star. “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,” Harden said.
The incident comes two days after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the 76ers were ending trade conversations involving Harden, who opted into the final year of his contract in July and subsequently requested a trade. Philadelphia had discussions with the Los Angeles Clippers, Harden’s preferred destination, but didn’t come close to a deal and planned to bring their unhappy point guard into training camp.
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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
Despite Harden’s public holdout threat, the 76ers might have the leverage. A clause in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) reads that “a player who withholds playing services called for by a Player Contract for more than thirty (30) days after the start of the last Season [of his contract] … shall not be entitled to negotiate or sign a Player Contract with any other professional basketball team unless and until the Team for which the player last played expressly agreed otherwise.”
In short, if Harden doesn’t join the 76ers by Nov. 2, the organization can block him from signing with another team next summer. And not just another NBA team—any professional basketball team. This is not a new addition to the CBA, but it only applies to players in the last year of a deal, which explains the rule’s relative obscurity.
The 76ers have a pattern of disgruntled former All-Star guards. In the summer before the 2021-22 season, Ben Simmons indicated that he no longer wanted to be a member of the team, and ultimately missed training camp and every preseason game. He returned to the team in October but was kicked out of a practice by coach Doc Rivers for being uncooperative and was suspended from the team’s season opener. Despite not playing a game for Philadelphia all season, Simmons received credit for a year of service as far as the NBA’s official books are concerned.
Harden could potentially circumvent the league’s holdout punishment by employing a similar approach. In fact, the 2018 MVP is a seasoned veteran when it comes to forcing his way out of teams, having done so at his previous two destinations. At the start of the 2020-21 season with the Houston Rockets, he showed up to training camp late and publicly criticized the team following consecutive blowout losses before being dealt to the Brooklyn Nets.
The following season, Harden requested and was granted a trade to Philadelphia, in part so that he could reunite with Morey, who had been Houston’s general manager during Harden’s tenure. Harden’s current beef with Morey stems from the lack of a long-term contract offer this offseason after the player took a pay cut last year to create salary cap and roster flexibility. He’s under contract for $35.6 million this season.
Although Harden was an All-Star in 2022 and led the league in assists last season, the 33-year-old’s scoring average has declined in each of the past four seasons. In the 2023 playoffs, he showed flashes of his former self, eclipsing 40 points on two separate occasions, but he scored just 17, 13 and 9, respectively, in the final three games of a second round loss to the Boston Celtics. Harden’s points per game has dropped off in the postseason relative to the regular season in each of the past 11 years.
Harden could jeopardize his future by not showing up to play in the fall, but the 76ers may not want him if he shows up with bad intentions. Philadelphia has the reigning MVP, Joel Embiid, and can’t afford to waste another season of his prime.
(This has been updated in the first paragraph to correct Daryl Morey’s title.)
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