Daryl Morey and James Harden are continuing on their beef history.
The Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Morey spoke with reporters this week after Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. During his remarks, Morey addressed the moves that were made by the rest of the 76ers’ Eastern Conference foes.
“Folks have speculated on the improvements of our East competitors,” said Morey. “I don’t see it personally. I think all the teams made moves at the deadline, but there weren’t any needle-movers in my opinion.”
Of course, the biggest move in the Eastern Conference playoff race was the Cleveland Cavaliers’ seismic trade for Harden. They acquired the former MVP Harden in a blockbuster deal with the LA Clippers.
The Cavaliers were a 64-win team last season and now sit at fourth in the Eastern Conference at 31-21. As such, the Harden trade now puts them at the forefront of the playoff race in the East.
But it is understandable why Morey might not want to give Harden much credit as a “needle-mover.” Morey and Harden had a fruitful partnership on the Houston Rockets from 2012-20. But the relationship soured when the two reunited on the 76ers from 2022-23.
Harden felt that he had been promised a max extension by Morey and the 76ers in 2023. When that never came, Harden demanded a trade and even publicly called out Morey as a “liar.”
Philadelphia ended up trading Harden to the Clippers in October of that year. But now that Harden has been traded back to the Eastern Conference with the Cavaliers, Morey isn’t missing his opportunity to get some digs in.
