At this point, most of us are aware of how James Harden ended up with the LA Clippers. The trade that materialized at the end of October came about as a result of a drawn out disagreement between Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers organization.
The result was a drama-filled timeline wherein Harden publicly announced that he would refuse to play for a team run by Daryl Morey ever again. After the team was unable to find a deal they were comfortable with following his trade demand, Harden felt his trust had been broken by the organization.
Desiring to return to his home of southern California, Harden made it clear he wanted to be sent to the Clippers. When he did finally arrive in LA, it put an end to the dramatic 76ers story, and he appeared ready to leave it all in the past and just focus on playing basketball. However, some new details on the situation were recently revealed.
New details of James Harden's departure from the 76ers were revealed
In a recent article from The Athletic, Harden spoke on his final days in Philadelphia and what led him to seeking a change of scenery. When asked if he had been told definitively by the 76ers that he would be getting a max deal, Harden confirmed that Morey had said that would be the case.
But Harden said everything changed for his relationship with the Sixers' President after their loss in the playoffs this past May. "Me and Daryl had a really good relationship," said Harden. "In the past, a week or two after we lose in the playoffs, it would be all about trying to figure out how to improve the team ... and that's been going on for 10-plus years. And then this year, there was no communcation."
Harden says it was this newfound lack of communication between he and Morey that led him to understand things had changed for their relationship. It was at that point that he began figuring out what would be the best move for himself going forward.
Now, James Harden is exactly where he had hoped to be when things started going sideways in Philadelphia. He always maintained that he wanted to find his way to a team with a chance to win at the highest level, and that is certainly what he found with the Clippers.