‘Inside’ Information Reveals 76ers Ownership ‘Vetoed’ James Harden Extension, Not Daryl Morey

Back in 2023, LA Clippers star James Harden was dominating the headlines. He requested a trade from Philly after just one season. Reportedly, Harden took the call because Daryl Morey, the President of Basketball Operations, assured him he would receive a “max” contract, but the promise wasn’t fulfilled. The player didn’t shy away from expressing his disapproval too. After rumors spread about Morey holding back the trade talks and forcing the player to stay on with his less-paying contract, the player publicly called him out to be a “liar”. Now, almost a year later, a recent revelation has shown that Morey may not have been the sole villain.

A few hours ago, Gilbert Arenas discussed how James Harden will be remembered by the future generation, especially when taking his beef with Daryl Morey into consideration. This led Arenas to drop some “inside” information about the events that transpired. “It wasn’t actually Daryl Morey. It was the owner,” said the 42-year-old on Gil’s Arena. “Morey wanted to pay him and the owner vetoed it. Morey was probably more embarrassed to face James and tell him the bad news”.

Arenas highlighted that the decision to not offer more money to Harden was made after analyzing his stats. During the 2022-23 regular season, JH had secured an average score of 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 10.7 assists. He ended it by establishing himself as the league leader in terms of assists. Furthermore, he and Joel Embiid had become the first teammates to take the lead in scoring and assists since Spurs stars George Gervin and Johnny Moore had delivered a similar feat during the 1981–82 season.

Despite this, Rashad McCants believed Harden could have performed better. The owners may have felt the same, which is what caused them to make the decision. But by not speaking up, Daryl Morey may have ruined his relationship with the NBA star for nothing.

James Harden refuses to reconcile with Daryl Morey

Even after exiting the Philadelphia 76ers, James Harden did not mend fences with Daryl Morey. The long-running relationship that had existed between the two did not seem to matter once Morey allegedly couldn’t fulfill the promise. This continued to be a thorn in the player’s side. Back in March, the Clippers had concluded a matchup against The Beard‘s former team, the Sixers.

Looking at this as an opportunity to bring up the old issue, a reporter asked Harden if he and Daryl Morey would ever patch things up. The point guard was defiant, as he stated, “No. Hell no”. From the looks of it, he has chosen to fully move on. “For me, personally, I feel like I did everything that I needed to do in the sense of the year prior, taking myself off the max [contract] to help the team get better, for this city,” said Harden.

“Things didn’t work out. I wanted to get paid. They weren’t talking. So, it is what it is. Then you move on. Everybody’s happy. Life is good.” Well, life seems to be truly good for James Harden in LA. As part of the Big 3 alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the franchise’s goal will probably be to keep them healthy throughout and avoid a Kawhi injury at a crucial time like what happened this year. The Beard, on the other hand, despite a drop in numbers, started 72 regular season games, which is quite a positive!

If you wish to know more about the latest happenings in the world of the NBA, be sure to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the marketing genius.