Daryl Morey overruled in James Harden contract discussion?

The Philadelphia 76ers have a way of finding themselves mired in controversy. 

James Harden's decision to publicly call out Daryl Morey for being a liar has only amplified the noise surrounding the franchise. Harden's disdain comes after he took a pay cut last season so that Morey could re-tool the Sixers ahead of the 2022-23 season. Morey's gamble failed to pay off. 

Nevertheless, Harden likely expected to be rewarded for his professionalism. There was no NBA championship and no big-money contract. And with that, Harden put in a trade request. However, Morey isn't the only member of the Sixers organization that needs to sign off on what contractual terms are being offered.

According to former Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale, who was speaking to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, Morey was likely overruled in regards to paying Harden long-term. 

"Let’s face it, if the owner looks at you and says, ‘We’re signing that dude,’ you’re signing that dude," McHale told Bulpett. "Story’s over. And if the owner looks at you and says, ‘We’re not signing that dude,’ you’re not signing him...James wanted a big extension from Philly, and Philly wouldn’t give it to him, and that’s not a Daryl decision. Daryl’s got a part of that, of course, but that’s an owner decision. So (Harden) was really mad, saying Daryl lied to him, but, you know, maybe they saw Game 7 against the Celtics (9 points on 3-for-11 shooting in a 24-point loss) and said, ‘I’m not interested in that.’"

Regardless of whether Morey was overruled or not, Harden has made his stance clear. Despite him no longer being a top-10 talent in the NBA, Harden is looking to force his way out of a third organization. Previously, Harden had the comfort blanket of knowing that Morey would always welcome him with open arms. Now that the safety net has been removed, there's no telling what's next for Harden's career. 

Rarely has a player tanked their own stock around the NBA to such a degree. Without Morey, Harden's future is facing uncertainty for the first time in his career, and that's a scary place to be for a former star that's on the decline.