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NBA personality Bill Simmons revealed the brutal message Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden received in the offseason with the lack of a deal following his trade request: Nobody wants him.
“(Ime) Udoka came in, he got the job at the end of April and they were like, ‘What about James Harden?’ He said, ‘Yeah we can think about it!'” Simmons explained on the August 20 edition of The Bill Simmons Podcast. “Then when he got the job he said, ‘I don’t f****** want that guy’ and they threw their weight in front of it. That’s what happened.
“Harden thought he was going there, he thought he was getting a big contract, that’s why he took less money to help Philly win for a year, because he knew he was going to leave. That’s my theory and I think I’m right. Once that Houston thing got pulled out and Daryl says, ‘We’re going to trade you this summer’ he looks around and nobody f****** wants James Harden!”
Harden was linked to the Los Angeles Clippers but it reportedly was L.A. that called off trade talks according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“One of the things that happened here is I think the Clippers had decided there was no trade,” said Windhorst said on the August 18 edition of his podcast. “I think the Clippers were going to move on from it and at least from talking to Philly about it. I think the only option Philly had at the time was the Clippers and so when that never got off the ground, from what I understand. They had multiple conversations… You can see the two rosters. You can see what the trade pieces are. You can understand why they wouldn’t [do a trade].”
Bill Simmons: Heat Wouldn’t Deal Tyler Herro for James Harden
Simmons doesn’t believe the Sixers would be able to get much value out of Harden; specifically naming a potential deal with the Miami Heat involving injured $120 million guard Tyler Herro as the primary trade piece in return.
“I’m sorry, look around the league, who has space for a guy making $ 35 million? If you’re Miami would you trade Tyler Herro for him? No way!” Simmons exclaimed. “You’re not doing that. Go through the league and try to find the James Harden trade. Go through every team, there’s no trade for him. Philly knows that, they’ve told him that and whether he fully realises that or not, I don’t know.”
Given Harden’s three trade requests the last three years while with the Sixers, Brooklyn Nets before that, and Houston Rockets before both of those tenures, teams are likely withholding their best offers for the 2018 MVP.
James Harden Torched Sixers Front Office Exec Daryl Morey
Harden went viral for a rant about Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey in which the guard called the front office executive a “liar” and claimed he would never work for a team Morey works for.
“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden prefaced before saying, “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.”
It’s a near-certainty that either Harden or Morey will be gone from Philadelphia. At this point, the Sixers need to make sure whoever departs is someone Joel Embiid was okay with seeing leave the franchise; less run the risk of causing issues with the team’s most important player as well.
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