76ers' Daryl Morey Says East Had No 'Needle Movers' at Deadline After James Harden Trade to Cavs

Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey doesn't seem too worried about any of the moves his Eastern Conference competitors made ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline, including the Cleveland Cavaliers acquiring James Harden.

"Folks have speculated on the improvements of our East competitors, I don't see it personally," told reporters when revealing he still likes his team's chances. "... There weren't any needle movers in my opinion."

Some of the headline acquisitions in the Eastern Conference included Anthony Davis going to the Washington Wizards and Ivica Zubac going to the Indiana Pacers, but both of those teams are well outside of the playoff picture and could be bigger threats next season.

But the Cavaliers figure to be a threat, as they are 31-21 and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

That puts them 1.5 games ahead of the sixth-seeded 76ers, and that is before Harden joins the fold as an 11-time All-Star who can take some of the scoring and playmaking responsibilities away from Donovan Mitchell and keep him fresher for the postseason.

Objectively, Cleveland is a team that is more than capable of eliminating the 76ers in the postseason, but Morey's comments can be taken with a grain of salt given his history with Harden.

Morey and Harden were together on the Houston Rockets and again with the 76ers before they had a falling out. In November 2023, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported Harden said he planned on never speaking to Morey again.

That came after the guard called the 76ers president of basketball operations "a liar" in August 2023.

"According to league sources, Harden and his camp became convinced Morey intended to offer him only a two-year deal, with a team option on the second season, if he declined his $35.6 million player option and became a free agent at the end of June—essentially turning Harden into a year-to-year player," Shelburne wrote.

There may very well be some bad blood remaining between the two, which could add more context to Morey's latest comments.