James Harden Says Sixers GM 'Daryl Morey Is A Liar,' Won't Play For Him

PHILADLEPHIA, PA — How much goes back to that moment in late spring when the Sixers held a several point lead in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, when they were just a few minutes of tight defense and careful clock management away from putting away the Boston Celtics and changing the trajectory of the franchise and the legacy of Joel Embiid and the Process forever.

Fast forward a few months, and pending free agent James Harden is on some sort of tour in China saying things like:

“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of. 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."

Like many of Harden's mysterious and dramatic proclamations, the full context isn't clear. But Morey, the Sixers general manager, has been trying to figure out a way to keep Harden in Philly. Harden appears to want more money than Morey is willing to give. Harden himself declared free agency, though he appeared to say a few months ago that this didn't mean he didn't want to stay in Philly.

Related: James Harden Declines Option, Now Free Agent: What It Means For Sixers

It's likely that none of this would be happening if the Sixers hadn't blown that late lead in game six, and then were blown out in game seven, marking the sixth straight year a highly-touted Philly team went home in the conference semifinal round or earlier. And as there has been every late spring and early summer for six years, the fallout and the fingerpointing and roster finagling began before the buzzer blew.

Harden has courted or commanded controversy at most stages of his career. His MVP days in Houston ended he started to fail to show up to practices and put on siginificant weight. He demanded a trade publicly and was shipped to the Brooklyn Nets in that organization's failed attempt to piece together a roster of superstars. With Brooklyn in decline, Harden again publicly demanded a trade, and the Sixers shipped their own albatross Ben Simmons up to New York to land him.

While not fully his old self, Harden still led the NBA in assists last season and was key cog in supporting Embiid's MVP bid. The Sixers future plans and the shape of roster around Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris likely hinges on how the Harden hysterics resolves themselves.

The Sixers open up their preseason on Oct. 8 in Boston.