https://x.com/billsimmons/status/1691921358807249016?s=61&t=xcbX1QdYdZojDIIdouH5kg From the ESPN article during Christmas: All-Star guard James Harden is seriously considering a return to the Houston Rockets in free agency this July — if he decides against a new deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, sources told ESPN.
Harden and his inner circle have been openly weighing Houston in recent months, sources said, a remarkable possibility given that he requested and received a trade out of the franchise less than two years ago.
by shreeharis
36 Comments
Leverage in case Morey changed his mind.
He needed a backup plan cause Morey is a liar
Perhaps Houston FO thought it was better to commit to FVV instead of James because he’s younger, not as expensive and doesn’t have a history of antics.
You guys ever think about how they’ve somehow monetized saying absolutely nothing of worth.
Do they really make money off providing no updates? I don’t understand it.
Bill Simmons takes in 2023
It doesn’t pass the smell test
I think he sensed Morey wasn’t gonna do it for a few months and leaked that trash as some terrible attempt at leverage
one doesn’t preclude the other.
Can you go ahead and post this a 5th time
Bill Simmons is a Morey stan.
New low.
This is why I still think people are overreacting.
James Harden is doing a promotional tour in China, where by badmouthing Morey he knows he can sell his products.
He called Morey a liar but that could so many things.
From Morey being a liar about China, to Morey lying about agreeing to trade Harden. To Morey agreeing to pay.
But even the last part could have been Morey saying “don’t worry James, we’ll pay you what you are worth.” In which case the dispute is over what the two believe Harden is worth.
Or it could have been “Don’t worry James, we’ll take care of you” Without any specifics this shouldn’t be seen as that strong of a guarantee.
If There was any promise of a 4 year max Harden is not releasing those Houston rumors 10 weeks into the season.
It seems like a lot of this can all be true at the same time. I think Morey told Harden he’d take care of him but then Harden underperformed and played inconsistently again in the playoffs…again. Perhaps then Morey and ownership took another look at max numbers for a playoff zero in mid to late 30s who struggles with weight issues and has a problem with partying and thought that’s a little too rich. Perhaps Harden thought his half assed efforts deserved a max still like an entitled little brat and can’t handle that he sort of broke the handshake agreement by choking again. I mean this shit happens in Hollywood all the time. There is a wink wink and then the movie stinks or the tv shows ratings go down and there is a reevaluation.
Let’s also not forgot Harden chose to do the wink wink and epically forced his way out of two other spots already. I don’t care what happens to Morey but the Harden stanning is ridiculous. He’s been a sloppy, malcontent who is now a declining asset. He’s already made hundreds of millions, he don’t need capes.
I’d go out on a limb and say it’s to keep his leverage with Philly. Not saying he’s right or smart.
ride that morey dick harder
They should have been clear with harden that we are not throwin you a max if you dont get us further then we have gotten in the past. It doesnt make any business sense to throw harden a max at his age when your not seeing any results from the trade.
Im sure hardens let down because he thought he was gunna get more but come on dood its a fuckin business and hes been around long enough to understand things change. Plus your already rich as fuck, cut your losses and try and do whats best for your career and take a pay cut and try and win. Money isnt everything
Can somebody name the immaculate reference of a few good men?? Such a perfect use of the analogy!
I want the truth!!!
Harden ordered the code red
He did say that
Bill… welcome to the resistance
Bill Simmons, who’s always pro team, anti player, & who’s sucked moreys dick for years, has moreys back…?? Oh god what a shocker. Fuck him!
the haters in shambles throwing shit all around their moms basements currently
Man does Simmons love him some Daryl Morey
I don’t understand this wink wink allegation against Morey. When a player says they want to sign a deal with their current team for next season, but when the time comes around they sign somewhere else, is that a scandal? Because I feel like it constantly happens all the time.
I know, actually, MOREY leaked it to undermine Harden’s story 8 months later. *finger taps head*
So, I keep seeing this brought up as a counter-point and I have one major problem with it. The new CBA was actively being negotiated over the past NBA season. We’ve already seen teams like the Warriors basically ship off bad contracts because they can’t afford to be in the second apron. We’ve also seen the Suns go the other way, and commit to being a contender while also signing on to be in second-apron hell for years.
So, how is the new CBA relevant? Let’s imagine a world where Daryl Morey made the promise last year. You already know the deal, but Harden signed a bad contract for a year so the Sixers could get some guys and make a run. Why would he then start leaking Houston rumors early in the season? This is where the new CBA comes in. It got approved in April, which means it was being actively negotiated and socialized before then. If Morey got some heads up on how punitive the new salary cap could be, why wouldn’t he start trying to weasel out of his promise? It’s not like there’s a written record of it, he just has a single co-conspirator.
Which sounds more likely to you –
a) Last offseason, James Harden declined his player option and signed a noticeably worse contract without a long drawn out negotiation about how he would make it up.
b) Daryl Morey got some early warning about how bad the new second apron was, and tried to weasel out of a promise that only he and Harden knew about.
EDIT: Formatting this thing, so it looks less like trash
Upvote for A Few Good Men
This is actually a good point. I have no difficulty believing that they had a handshake deal that they backed out on when they realized that the market meant they could keep him without honoring it, but it does make the whole rockets thing even more confusing.
I appreciate the A Few Good Men reference
I hate to give Simmons credit, but the code red reference is perfect for this scenario.
It really shows how young and unemployed this subreddit is that they never learned you always make sure you either have multiple offers or at least pretend you do.
Because MOREY is a LIAR……..sometimes!
Damn i fucking hate Bill Simmons but that Few Good Men reference is sleek
I wonder why no one wants to trade for Harden?
James harden is not worth a max contract….
My understanding of his existing deal is that it was “you’ve been a really flaky teammate so far in your career, but take us to the next level and get paid”. He didn’t take them to the next level, but still wants to get paid. In advance. When that doesn’t happen, he opts in to play, then says he won’t. I can’t speak to what Morey did or didn’t do, but the facts point to Harden just being pissy.
Honestly harden is an idiot for believing something that wasn’t in writing and this is why players should have lawyers and agents advising them