James Harden is welcomed to return to Sixers by teammate Tyrese Maxey in spite of his recent trade demand and criticism of exec Daryl Morey: ‘If he comes back, nobody would be upset’

James Harden is welcome to return to the Philadelphia 76ers this season despite his deteriorating relationship with the front office, defenseman Tyrese Maxey said.

“I love James,” Maxey said to his Maxey on the mic podcast. “If James decides to come back and play for us, there’s no one in this organization who would be upset about that.”

Harden has been feuding with the 76ers front office and Daryl Morey, the team’s president of basketball operations who acquired the former MVP in a 2022 trade with Brooklyn. The two previously worked together in Houston for nine seasons and had a productive relationship in Philadelphia. until this summer, when the Sixers decided not to offer him a long-term contract.

Without that long-term commitment, Harden and the Sixers agreed that if he picked up his $36 million player option for the 2023-2024 season, the team would look to trade him, according to ESPN. But when that didn’t happen, Harden publicly labeled Morey a “liar.”

“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be part of any organization he is part of,” Harden said at an Adidas media event in China earlier this month. “Let me say it again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be part of any organization that he is a part of.”

Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey has not found a trading partner for James Harden

Harden was subsequently fined $100,000 by the NBA for “indicating that he would not perform the services required by his player contract unless he was traded to another team.”

The players’ union (NBPA) now plans to file a complaint on Harden’s behalf.

And while the friction between Harden and the Sixers may surprise some, as Maxey explained on his podcast, Philadelphia players aren’t exactly shocked.

“It’s crazy to say this, but honestly it’s not our first rodeo,” said Maxey.

“That’s funny to say, but such is life. James is his own individual and he can do whatever he wants,’ he concluded. “I am now preparing to play with him or without him.”

Harden recently said it’s too late to mend his relationship with Morey and the Sixers

Harden has made it clear that he has no intention of playing for the 76ers again.

On the question of Jason Bristol of KHOU 11 when it’s too late to save his career with the 76ers, Harden simply said, “I think so.”

Interestingly, Harden played well for the Sixers in his first full season with the team in 2022-2023.

His scoring was five points per game below his career average of 25.6, which is understandable considering he played alongside high-scoring MVP, Joel Embiid. More importantly, Harden averaged 10.4 assists per game (third best mark of his career) while draining a whopping 38.5 percent of his three-point attempts.