With James Harden at odds with Daryl Morey, former Philadelphia 76ers sharpshooter Danny Green said he understood how both sides felt.
“As a player, I’m always gonna side with the player. Not just because I’m a player, but I also don’t think he’s wrong. If he was promised something, I think you need to come through with that promise,” Green said on the August 14 episode of ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “But I see the other side of it with Daryl Morey. I understand it’s a business. GMs, they make a lot of decisions quickly in the heat of the moment, and your mind is going to change — the emotion is gonna change at different times —, and maybe his hands are tied to this. Maybe he’s not able to offer James the extension that he wants. So I understand Daryl. I understand James.”
Green said he wasn’t optimistic about the idea of Harden showing up to play again for the Sixers.
“Do I think this can be something that can be [mended]? Probably not, but Daryl is going to have to meet him at least halfway to try to bring him into camp,” Green said. “I also don’t see James as a guy that’s going to come into camp and dog it. He’s either not gonna play, or when he does play, I see him being the professional that he is and giving his best, but I don’t see him doing that. I think he’s gonna try to hold out.”
Green was acquired by Morey in exchange for Al Horford in 2020, then was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2022 in exchange for De’Anthony Melton.
Kyrie Irving Questions Daryl Morey, Defends James Harden
Kyrie Irving defended Harden while calling out Morey for how the Sixers have handled the situation.
Irving, a former teammate of Harden’s, suggested in an August 14 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Harden was hold Morey “accountable for his dishonesty and lack of transparency” during contract negotiations. The post was spurred by a viral video from earlier that day showing Harden calling Morey “a liar” and saying he would never play under Morey again.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey reported later that afternoon that Morey “was not moved” by Harden’s verbal attack.
“A league source said Morey was not surprised by Harden’s commentary and his attempt to make things personal given his agent’s reaction this past weekend to being informed that the Sixers weren’t able to find a suitable deal,” Pompey wrote.
Danny Green Vows That His NBA Career Is Not Finished
On the July 27 episode of “The Hoop Chat,” Green commented on his NBA future, explaining why he remains unsigned.
Danny Green is NOT done 😤 #TheHoopChat 🎙️🏀 ft @DGreen_14
“It’s moving slow. A lot of people are waiting on trades. When you’re the old guy coming off injury, the phone doesn’t ring as much, so I have to get back and prove I’m healthy again,” Green said. “We’ll see how that goes. I’m just waiting to see where trades land and what spaces free up and figure it out from there.”
Green made it clear that he does not believe that his NBA career is done, stating that he believes he has a couple of years left.
“Maybe some people think that I’m done. I’m not done playing,” he said. “I’m not going to fully transfer over to the media side for another couple of years. I want to play as long as I can because I don’t want to regret saying I had two or three years left that I could have hooped.”
At 36 years old and only one year removed from tearing his ACL, it may not be up to Green whether he’ll stay in the NBA at this point.
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Ex-Sixer Danny Green Weighs In on James Harden-Daryl Morey Drama