Kyrie Irving has never been one to shy away from speaking his mind and addressing the media. Most recently, he has taken to social media to weigh in on the reporting regarding the ongoing rift between Philadelphia 76ers point guard James Harden and general manager Daryl Morey.
ESPN NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski labels Harden as “disgruntled,” while Irving begs to differ that Harden is simply holding Morey accountable for his actions during their contract negotiations.
It is interesting to see Irving of all people step up to defend Harden. After all, Harden essentially requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets due to the drama surrounding Irving and the team. Harden spoke on the matter after the Nets decided to trade Kevin Durant this past season. “There was just a lot of dysfunction…” during his time with the team, said Harden.
Harden was traded from the Nets (along with Paul Millsap) to the 76ers at the 2022 trade deadline in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks. He just led the NBA in assists per game this past season (10.7) while leading the 76ers to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Less than two years later, Harden has requested to be traded to his fourth team in as many seasons, with the Los Angeles Clippers being his desired destination.
Both Harden and Morey have dug their feet into the ground in their respective stances, which could signal that this is only the beginning of the standoff. Sam Amick of The Athletic has reported that Harden doesn’t plan to report to training camp when the time comes.
