James Harden trade update, latest news, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, Daryl Morey

Philadelphia 76ers star guard James Harden said his relationship with Sixers executive Daryl Morey can’t be repaired, but that he plans to play for the NBA club in the upcoming season.

The 34-year-old American, a three-time NBA scoring champion who led the league in assists last season, saw his relationship with the team’s president of basketball operations, Morey, deteriorate after having opted for a $35.6 million contract for the 2023-24 season.

Harden made this decision expecting that he would be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers as he had requested, but no deal materialized.

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“It’s not even about this situation. It’s life,” Harden said in his first comments since joining the 76ers last week.

“When you lose trust in someone, it’s like a marriage. You lose trust in someone. Know what I mean? It’s quite simple.

Harden, the 2018 NBA Most Valuable Player and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, was obtained by Morey from Oklahoma City 11 years ago when Morey was with the Houston Rockets.

Morey left the Rockets in 2020 for the 76ers and in January 2021, Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, where he stayed for a little over a year before being traded to the 76ers, reuniting him with Morey.

“When I got traded here, my whole thing was I wanted to take away a Sixer,” Harden said.

“And the front office didn’t have that in their future plans.”

Harden said that after years of good communication with the “front office,” there was only silence following the Sixers’ loss to Boston in the Eastern Conference playoff semifinals last season.

“There was no communication once we lost,” he said.

Harden called Morey a “liar” last August at an event in China and vowed not to be in any organization with him.

But Harden now says he’s ready to play for the 76ers alongside NBA MVP Joel Embiid as the club attempts to win a championship.

“I come here today and I work my butt off, I do the things that are necessary as a professional, I do what I’ve been doing for 15 years,” Harden said.

“I can control what I can control. I take it one day at a time and focus on each day as a new day. My plan is to play basketball, yes, of course.

For now, it will be with the 76ers. NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said during a recent appearance on ESPN’s “NBA Today” show that a trade is not imminent.

“The asking price this time of year for the players you’d like to replace James Harden is going to be very high,” he said.

“So there’s not a lot of motivation in Philadelphia to think that a deal with the Clippers now gives them the best possible value, the best player that might be available later in the year. And that’s “That’s why this could play out over time, especially if the Clippers don’t increase their offer and include Terance Mann in the deal, who has so far been left out of these negotiations.”[And the Clippers are] saying, “Look, we’re not giving you two future first-round picks for a James Harden player who might just be a one-year rental for us.

But you’re the Clippers and you say, ‘We know we made the best deal for James Harden.‘ There’s not a big market for James Harden there.

“That’s why this thing can be slow moving through the season.”

Harden, a 10-time NBA All-Star, averaged 24.7 points, 7.0 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in his 14 NBA seasons.

Harden appeared in the 2012 NBA Finals for Oklahoma City, when the Thunder lost to Miami, and was voted the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year as the league’s top reserve.

He did not return to the NBA Finals, losing twice with Houston to Golden State in the Western Conference Finals. His teams have lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals the past three seasons.