James Harden Rumors: Star Felt He Was Being Ghosted by 76ers Before Contract Decision

James Harden's falling out with the Philadelphia 76ers may have come down to simple miscommunication.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported Harden felt Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey "ghosted" him ahead of his impending free agency this summer, leading to him exercising his $35.6 million player option and asking for a trade.

"James felt like Daryl was ghosting him," a source told Shelburne. "He felt betrayed."

From the Sixers' perspective, they said their distance from Harden ahead of his expected free agency was to avoid any tampering charges. The Sixers were docked 2023 and 2024 second-round picks last summer after the league found them guilty of tampering with P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr. ahead of their signings.

Morey has also been fined multiple times personally for violating the league's tampering policies. Given the history of the Sixers and Morey as repeat offenders, the Sixers planned to reconvene with Harden when he made his decision on the option.

That silence created a fissure between the two sides that has overshadowed the Sixers' entire offseason.

Morey went to work attempting to trade Harden in July after his request, discussing deals with the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks. Harden expressed a desire to head home to Los Angeles, and Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George reportedly signed off on the move.

However, the Clippers have little to offer for Harden besides a collection of spare parts. It's the type of offer only acceptable if the Sixers became desperate, and Morey is famous for never negotiating from a position of weakness. The team held its nose for months and held onto Ben Simmons two seasons ago despite him refusing to play.

Morey pulled Harden off the trade market last month, seemingly ready for another war with a star player. Harden escalated the situation by calling Morey a "liar" during a promotional trip to China, leading to the NBA fining him $100,000.

"The situation with James Harden is unfortunate," Sixers majority owner Josh Harris told ESPN. "I want this to work out for all sides, including James. But we have to keep our eye on the big picture, which is that we're still a contending team and most teams in the NBA would change places with us in five minutes."

Harden's leverage is limited in this situation because the Sixers could prevent him from reaching free agency next summer if he withholds his services. That said, Harden has made it clear he's going to create a situation as ugly as humanly possible to get his wishes granted, so it's anyone's guess how the next few weeks before training camp play out.