It’s not everyday you see an employee call out his own boss on social media, not even if we’re talking about a superstar athlete. James Harden‘s unprecedented public claim that the Sixers president Daryl Morey is a liar is just another one of his tactics to try and change teams after he demanded a trade request some time ago.
The internet just can’t get enought out of this one! According to many NBA insiders, the team executive is not surprised at all by the player’s remarks during a marketing event in China.
“A league source said Daryl Morey wasn’t surprised at James Harden’s commentary and his attempt to make things personal given his agent’s reaction this weekend to being informed the Sixers weren’t able to find a suitable deal,” wrote reporter Keith Pompey.
But not all fans and experts have taken The Beard’s side, as SportCenter’s Scott Van Pelt actually believes the veteran is digging his own grave on this one. Take a look at his take on the matter:
According to league insider Zach Lowe, if Harden isn’t traded before training camp starts in September and he holds out for another month, the 76ers can prevent the player from entering free agency next summer.
On the other hand, other analysts confirm that there was “no evidence” of a contract agreement between James and the club after he took a pay-cut last offseason. “The league found no evidence of an agreement on a long-term contract between Harden and the Sixers,” said reporter Kevin O’Connor.
As for other NBA stars, Kyrie Irving took Harden’s side and publicly called out a post by Adrian Wojnarowski’s choice of words when first reporting about this situation.
“Is he Disgruntled Adrian?? Or is he holding Darryl Morey accountable for his dishonesty and lack of transparency throughout the contract negotiation process this summer?” the Dallas guard responded to a post by the ESPN expert.
Some podcast personalities believe Damian Lillard should be taking notes on how Harden handles his trade requests
One of the most interesting takes on Harden’s latest drama was Pablo Torre on the “Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” yesterday, who assured that Damian Lillard should pay attention closely to the way the veteran point guard handles his trade requests if he ever wants to leave Portland.
Check out Torre’s explanation over why Harden making a stink for the Sixers is something other stars should emulate:
“Damian Lillard should be taking notes. This is how you do this. You make a giant mess. You involve every bit of leverage you did not have by generating controversy and toxicity.” – @PabloTorre explains why James Harden making a stink for the Sixers is something other stars… pic.twitter.com/pHrtNVnoKM
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) August 14, 2023
As for the fans, they are mostly taking the guard’s side, trusting the player is in his own right to call out his truths.
“This is some CCP propaganda I can support for once,” one Twitter account said, while another looked at the funny side of things: “Release the fat suit!”
However, if we scan social media, users are mostly in shock after Harden called out his own boss and even repeated twice that he’s a liar.
“Having a player’s stance come straight from the source publicly like this instead of through the mouth of a media member or an agent is actually insane. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this done before,” a tweet read.
