James Harden BREAKS SILENCE about ‘marriage’ with 76ers as Western Conference giants chase disgruntled superstar

Harden states that relationship with 76ers' front office is unfixable at this point.

James Harden BREAKS SILENCE about ‘marriage’ with 76ers as Western Conference giants chase disgruntled superstar

James Harden (Credits: Twitter)

With the new NBA season looming and off-season nearing a close, James Harden‘s future in Philadelphia still hangs by a thread. It appears that the former MVP still harbors some lingering resentment towards the 76ers’ front office and President, Daryl Morey.

In a conversation with reporters after the 76ers practice on Friday, Harden revealed that he had plans to retire a Sixer; however, the franchise didn’t share the same vision for the future.

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“When I got traded here, my whole thing is I wanted to retire a Sixer. I wanted to be here and retire a Sixer. And the front office didn’t have that in their future plans,” Harden said.

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Harden went on to confirm that he fully intends to play in the 76ers’ final preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks and when the regular season begins. Nonetheless, he made it clear that his relationship with the front office and Morey is beyond repair at this point.

He mentioned that he had a relationship with the front office for a decade. When asked if he believed that the relationship could be repaired, Harden responded with a definitive “No.” When asked why, he further added, “It’s like marriage, like you lose trust in someone, it’s like oh. It’s pretty simple.”

Harden initially requested a trade back in June when he opted into his deal for the 2023-24 season, with the aim of facilitating a move to the Los Angeles Clippers. However, a trade has yet to be finalized, and the player’s relationship with the front office has since taken a nosedive.

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Tyrese Maxey lauded James Harden’s professionalism amid his ongoing trade fiasco

Despite the ongoing uncertainty regarding his future with the Sixers, it seems that James Harden has not let the situation affect the team’s training camps in Philadelphia. Many had concerns that the superstar might be challenging to handle during these camps, but according to Tyrese Maxey, Harden has handled the situation exceptionally well.

James Harden and Tyrese Maxey
James Harden and Tyrese Maxey (Credits: Forbes)

In a conversation with JJ Redick on his ‘The Old Man & The Three’ podcast, Maxey credited Harden for being a true professional.

“First of all, Imma give a shoutout to James. He didn’t make it weird at all. He came in, and he was very, like, not what I was expecting. He was very receptive. He worked hard. He did all the drills. He was talking to even young guys that he didn’t know. James Harden, MVP, scoring champ, two-time assist leader, he’s sitting there talking to guys like Ricky Council, ‘Hey, when you help, you should do this.’ It’s not what I was picturing,” he said.

Harden’s absence at the 76ers’ media day and the first day of training camp fueled the prevailing belief that more controversy would surround the situation in Philadelphia. However, as it stands, that hasn’t been the case.

The coming days will be crucial in determining whether Harden chooses to stay in Philadelphia or seeks to depart. It will be intriguing to see what the future holds for both “The Beard” and the Sixers.

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