NBA Fans Rip Daryl Morey for James Harden Trade, Say 76ers Got 'Fleeced' by Clippers

The Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers sent shockwaves through the NBA on Tuesday morning, as Philly dealt 10-time All-Star and one-time NBA MVP James Harden to L.A. in a blockbuster trade.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers are sending Harden, P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev to the Clippers for Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nicolas Batum, KJ Martin, a 2028 unprotected first-round pick, two second-round picks and a 2029 pick swap.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Sixers are also receiving the Clippers' 2026 first-round pick via the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The trade was seemingly a long time coming, as Harden exercised the option in his contract for the 2023-24 season during the offseason with the expectation that he and the Clippers would work out a trade.

When it appeared the 76ers intended to hang onto him as of August, a distraught Harden lashed out, calling 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey a "liar" at an Adidas event.

Morey finally made good on what Harden clearly felt was a commitment to trade him, but NBA fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, were less than impressed with the Sixers' haul, suggesting that Morey got "fleeced" by the Clips:

It can be argued that by allowing things to carry on for so long, Morey backed himself into a corner to some degree.

Harden did not play at all during the preseason, skipped part of training camp and was not with the team to start the regular season.

While the Sixers could have fined Harden had he not reported as the season went on, his holdout reflected poorly on the organization, and it likely put pressure on Morey to figure out a resolution.

Additionally, multiple NBA insiders, including Sam Amick of The Athletic, reported from jump that the Clippers were Harden's preferred landing spot, making it the worst-kept secret in basketball.

Although the Sixers received some draft compensation and several role players in the deal, the Clippers secured far and away the best player in Harden.

Harden is a likely future Hall of Famer who won three scoring titles with the Houston Rockets and was the top ball distributor in the NBA last season, averaging a league-leading 10.7 assists per game.

In L.A., Harden will join a veteran- and superstar-laden roster alongside Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook, plus the Clippers were able to keep other key pieces such as Terance Mann, Norman Powell, Ivica Zubac and Bones Hyland.

The Sixers are likely still among the top teams in the Eastern Conference with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris leading the way, but provided they can stay healthy, the Clippers pulled off a trade that could make them championship contenders.