So what were Morey’s original Harden intentions heading into the offseason?

[FlyingArrow]

It's illegal to promise the next contract, but there is no way Harden leaves $14.6M on the table without an expectation of a payback the following summer.

The pay cut was so he could help construct the roster he wanted, and Morey went out and signed his guys. That wouldn't have happened if Harden kept the higher salary.

I'm sure Harden expected to play well enough to warrant a max contract. He didn't. He took a calculatedrisk. He may not have lost that much anyway. I think he picked up his option for this year because the market for him is not at $35m right now. I'm guessing he probably would've signed for $25m per year somewhere if there were an open bidding war by places he wants to go. So $47m + $25m vs $33 + $35 that he actually got. He probably only lost $5m or so based on him re-signing at a lower rate for one more year.

[M2J]

It's illegal to promise the next contract, but there is no way Harden leaves $14.6M on the table without an expectation of a payback the following summer.

The pay cut was so he could help construct the roster he wanted, and Morey went out and signed his guys. That wouldn't have happened if Harden kept the higher salary.

I'm sure Harden expected to play well enough to warrant a max contract. He didn't. He took a calculatedrisk. He may not have lost that much anyway. I think he picked up his option for this year because the market for him is not at $35m right now. I'm guessing he probably would've signed for $25m per year somewhere if there were an open bidding war by places he wants to go. So $47m + $25m vs $33 + $35 that he actually got. He probably only lost $5m or so based on him re-signing at a lower rate for one more year.

The only team with space that would've considered that would've been Houston, and it's confirmed they weren't going to. Same as last year, Harden did take his time to sign the deal with Philly, and there were no takers. The only teams with space are rebuilding teams the past 2 years except NYK who paid Brunson

[FlyingArrow]

It's illegal to promise the next contract, but there is no way Harden leaves $14.6M on the table without an expectation of a payback the following summer.

The pay cut was so he could help construct the roster he wanted, and Morey went out and signed his guys. That wouldn't have happened if Harden kept the higher salary.

I'm sure Harden expected to play well enough to warrant a max contract. He didn't. He took a calculatedrisk. He may not have lost that much anyway. I think he picked up his option for this year because the market for him is not at $35m right now. I'm guessing he probably would've signed for $25m per year somewhere if there were an open bidding war by places he wants to go. So $47m + $25m vs $33 + $35 that he actually got. He probably only lost $5m or so based on him re-signing at a lower rate for one more year.

The only team with space that would've considered that would've been Houston, and it's confirmed they weren't going to. Same as last year, Harden did take his time to sign the deal with Philly, and there were no takers. The only teams with space are rebuilding teams the past 2 years except NYK who paid Brunson

So his alternative to picking up his option would've been even less than $25m per year for this season? If that's the case, then he didn't lose anything at all by signing that 'discount' contract.

[M2J]

The pay cut was so he could help construct the roster he wanted, and Morey went out and signed his guys. That wouldn't have happened if Harden kept the higher salary.

I'm sure Harden expected to play well enough to warrant a max contract. He didn't. He took a calculatedrisk. He may not have lost that much anyway. I think he picked up his option for this year because the market for him is not at $35m right now. I'm guessing he probably would've signed for $25m per year somewhere if there were an open bidding war by places he wants to go. So $47m + $25m vs $33 + $35 that he actually got. He probably only lost $5m or so based on him re-signing at a lower rate for one more year.

The only team with space that would've considered that would've been Houston, and it's confirmed they weren't going to. Same as last year, Harden did take his time to sign the deal with Philly, and there were no takers. The only teams with space are rebuilding teams the past 2 years except NYK who paid Brunson

So his alternative to picking up his option would've been even less than $25m per year for this season? If that's the case, then he didn't lose anything at all by signing that 'discount' contract.

He gained 22 million with the option this year. I think he was pouting all year because Daryl actually used his leverage against him as opposed to just maxing him out.

[FlyingArrow]

The only team with space that would've considered that would've been Houston, and it's confirmed they weren't going to. Same as last year, Harden did take his time to sign the deal with Philly, and there were no takers. The only teams with space are rebuilding teams the past 2 years except NYK who paid Brunson

So his alternative to picking up his option would've been even less than $25m per year for this season? If that's the case, then he didn't lose anything at all by signing that 'discount' contract.

He gained 22 million with the option this year. I think he was pouting all year because Daryl actually used his leverage against him as opposed to just maxing him out.

So you think his alternative was a minimum contract? That seems unlikely.

[M2J]

So his alternative to picking up his option would've been even less than $25m per year for this season? If that's the case, then he didn't lose anything at all by signing that 'discount' contract.

He gained 22 million with the option this year. I think he was pouting all year because Daryl actually used his leverage against him as opposed to just maxing him out.

So you think his alternative was a minimum contract? That seems unlikely.

MLE or request a sign and trade with Sixers help. Which he truly should've done, but I dont believe the Clippers were ready to take on any additional years after this one... They still have to figure out their current 2 stars after this season. Last 2 years, no competitive team had money or use for James (if you consider OKC and Indy with their guard situations).

If he starts to act out this season, minimum contracts are on the table

[PhillyFan11]

I don’t think it’s that complicated…
1. Harden has little trade value
2. It would be GM malpractice to give Harden a long term contract
3. The Sixers are better with Harden than without

I think it’s pretty obvious that the plan was to roll the dice, hope for the best, and move on after the season with max cap space + available. Harden being Harden has put a wrinkle in those plans. And Morey is at fault for not seeing it coming. Harden going into this season as essentially a lame duck in Philly at his age was always a ticking time bomb.

[hookshot199]

I don’t think it’s that complicated…
1. Harden has little trade value
2. It would be GM malpractice to give Harden a long term contract
3. The Sixers are better with Harden than without

I think it’s pretty obvious that the plan was to roll the dice, hope for the best, and move on after the season with max cap space + available. Harden being Harden has put a wrinkle in those plans. And Morey is at fault for not seeing it coming. Harden going into this season as essentially a lame duck in Philly at his age was always a ticking time bomb.

Morey couldn't predict that Harden and Embiid would both crumble in games 6 and 7. Had we won the Celtics series, I think we would have beaten Miami and made the finals. I don't think we were good enough to beat Denver, but it became a moot point when Harden and Embiid both choked. He wasn't going to get a longterm deal. Maybe three years. But he wanted four. He also felt he had an "in" with Houston. That changed when the Rockets hired Udoka.

[rzzzzz]

You know, one player catching fire to win two games of a series is pretty good. If after game 5 Embiid had magically fully recovered from his knee ligament injury, there’s a damn good chance we take the Celtics down. Hell, if we ever get through the 2nd round of any playoffs with Embiid healthy, I like our chances.

I’m not sure that the Embiid-Harden duo is that great considering how much the ball tends to stick with either one of them. Maybe Nurse can scheme something that will keep the ball moving even with those two guys. Or maybe we’re better off moving to Maxey. Despite Harden’s heavy handed play to go back to Houston as the #1, Morey’s handling of the off season is a head scratcher to me. But for sure, at this point, we’re not trading him for peanuts, and we should probably hold onto him long enough to see how he meshes with what we got NOW, while waiting on whatever offers may emerge from anywhere in the league, regardless of James’ preference. Especially with Dame and Jrue being professional about their situations.

[HardenGoat]

Harden seems to be in great shape and cooking per Pat Bev. Hes not acting disgruntled at all so far. Iam getting vibes maybe he will like the new coach and just play his best right now. No need to trade him at this point for the weak offer Clippers have. Iam hoping he stays in Philly where the best chance at a chip lies. BTW, theres no reason he cant succeed in spreading the ball around, he has been a captive of systems that are implemented by the coach.

[M2J]

Harden seems to be in great shape and cooking per Pat Bev. Hes not acting disgruntled at all so far. Iam getting vibes maybe he will like the new coach and just play his best right now. No need to trade him at this point for the weak offer Clippers have. Iam hoping he stays in Philly where the best chance at a chip lies. BTW, theres no reason he cant succeed in spreading the ball around, he has been a captive of systems that are implemented by the coach.

I think he's too focused on getting that next bag to play the right way. The right way is for Maxey to be a more primary option than James. But, I do believe Morey would pay him, not max money, but close and perhaps actual max dollars short term if they can't get a max player next summer

[FlyingArrow]

Harden seems to be in great shape and cooking per Pat Bev. Hes not acting disgruntled at all so far. Iam getting vibes maybe he will like the new coach and just play his best right now. No need to trade him at this point for the weak offer Clippers have. Iam hoping he stays in Philly where the best chance at a chip lies. BTW, theres no reason he cant succeed in spreading the ball around, he has been a captive of systems that are implemented by the coach.

I think he's too focused on getting that next bag to play the right way. The right way is for Maxey to be a more primary option than James. But, I do believe Morey would pay him, not max money, but close and perhaps actual max dollars short term if they can't get a max player next summer

He already led the league in assists. If he goes from merely leading the league to something 15apg (even if the scoring drops a lot), he'd be just as valuable (maybe more) on the free agent market. A demonstrated ability to be the best distributor in the league is a skill that ages well. It ages better than being a scorer.

[M2J]

Harden seems to be in great shape and cooking per Pat Bev. Hes not acting disgruntled at all so far. Iam getting vibes maybe he will like the new coach and just play his best right now. No need to trade him at this point for the weak offer Clippers have. Iam hoping he stays in Philly where the best chance at a chip lies. BTW, theres no reason he cant succeed in spreading the ball around, he has been a captive of systems that are implemented by the coach.

I think he's too focused on getting that next bag to play the right way. The right way is for Maxey to be a more primary option than James. But, I do believe Morey would pay him, not max money, but close and perhaps actual max dollars short term if they can't get a max player next summer

He already led the league in assists. If he goes from merely leading the league to something 15apg (even if the scoring drops a lot), he'd be just as valuable (maybe more) on the free agent market. A demonstrated ability to be the best distributor in the league is a skill that ages well. It ages better than being a scorer.

Apparently he doesn't agree. But it's true, and if he willingly becomes that catch and shoot 3pt shooter, and facilitator, he'll still have great value for the next 4 years maybe. Doc got him to prove he can still do both those things at a high level last year. But, he's still ball dominant with high usage and one on one opportunities and they need a more integrative system that allows others (Maxey, Tobias, Melton) to be more included and Harden to be a connector that picks his spots, mainly because you can't rely on him in the playoffs scoring in big moments

[XtremeDunkz]

Harden obviously still likes his teammates. I wish he and Morey could sit down and work this out. I know it is due to Morey promising a max and then rescinding, so probably unlikely.

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[sixerguy]

Harden obviously still likes his teammates. I wish he and Morey could sit down and work this out. I know it is due to the Rockets promising a max and then rescinding, and James picking up his option before giving Morey a chance to offer him a max, so probably unlikely.

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Fixed

[Jailblazers7]

It’s crazy that Houston openly tampered with Harden & absolutely nothing happened. Harden had a well-reported direct meeting with Ime Udoka before the FA period.

Meanwhile we sign washed PJ Tucker & Danuel f*cking House and lose picks for it.

[Stanford]

It’s crazy that Houston openly tampered with Harden & absolutely nothing happened.

That Adam Siler is a big softy!

[HotelVitale]

It’s crazy that Houston openly tampered with Harden & absolutely nothing happened. Harden had a well-reported direct meeting with Ime Udoka before the FA period. Meanwhile we sign washed PJ Tucker & Danuel f*cking House and lose picks for it.

The 'well-reported' part was maybe just Stephen A Smith making up a random story on the spot. Not sure there was more to that but I could be wrong.

But it is tough to keep hearing what a coup the Harden pay cut was for us. We not only overpaid PJ Tucker, but would've still had the tax MLE to use no matter what--and last year the tax MLE got Bruce Brown to DEN, Malik Monk to SAC, Divincenzo to GS, Lonnie Walker to LAL, Ingles to MIL, Rubio to CLE, etc. Still plenty of talent we could've picked up.

[ArksNetsSince99]

[quote="76ciology"]From Harden’s perspective.. why would he want to play here in the next 3-5 years? It’s clear that his fame is diminishing with the style we want him to play. Glorified Derek Fisher who’s primary role is doing an entry pass to our Shaq.

Rockets was willing to pay him more than we do. Maybe Fertita screwed us on this BTW.

He looked at the Clippers and he probably got some promise from Balmer for a big pay day if he becomes their mercenary to end the Kawhi-PG era with a bang. Clipps also pretty much would erase everything from their cap in next year’s offseason so there’s a good chance they are more willing to pay Harden more than we do. I also think maybe Clips perimeter/switch heavy game is the style Harden prefers.

Think about it.. you’re on your last day at work on a job you hate. Working with people you hate. While you know, you’d be working for a more financially lucrative job with the working environment you dream of (houston strip club and he’s well respected of houston) tomorrow.

With your analogy Simmons could threw entry pass to your Shaq

[76ciology]

From Harden’s perspective.. why would he want to play here in the next 3-5 years? It’s clear that his fame is diminishing with the style we want him to play. Glorified Derek Fisher who’s primary role is doing an entry pass to our Shaq.

Rockets was willing to pay him more than we do. Maybe Fertita screwed us on this BTW.

He looked at the Clippers and he probably got some promise from Balmer for a big pay day if he becomes their mercenary to end the Kawhi-PG era with a bang. Clipps also pretty much would erase everything from their cap in next year’s offseason so there’s a good chance they are more willing to pay Harden more than we do. I also think maybe Clips perimeter/switch heavy game is the style Harden prefers.

Think about it.. you’re on your last day at work on a job you hate. Working with people you hate. While you know, you’d be working for a more financially lucrative job with the working environment you dream of (houston strip club and he’s well respected of houston) tomorrow.

With your analogy Simmons could threw entry pass to your Shaq

No, because Ben’s defender would be on our shaq without respect on his perimeter shooting and Ben is a TO machine.

Your offense is determined by your PG. And if your PG can’t shoot and can’t score, you wont win at the highest levels in the NBA.