A troubling trend is emerging regarding Daryl Morey

If someone says something about you once, that's an opinion. Two people saying the same thing about you could be a coincidence. But if three people who interact with you all come out and say the same thing, well, that's a trend, and unfortunately a concerning trend is emerging regarding Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey.

The trend involves players in the league not trusting him -- a trend that could impact his, and his team's, ability to attract free agents in the future. 

Opinion

Back in 2019, veteran guard Chris Paul admitted to feeling stabbed in the back by Morey, who traded Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder after promising him that he wouldn't.

"Every situation is different," Paul said. "But the team is going to do whatever they want to do. They'll tell you one thing and do a smooth 'nother thing. ... The GM there in Houston [Morey], he don't owe me nothing. He may tell me one thing but do another thing. But you just understand that that's what it is." 

Paul provided further insight into his discussions with Morey during an appearance on Dwyane Wade's podcast, detailing their back-and-forth prior to and immediately after the trade.

"Daryl was like, 'Hey Chris, I was just calling you [...] just to make sure you wouldn't want to go to OKC,'" Paul said, via Newsweek. "I was like 'No, why? I done moved 15 people to Houston.' And he was like, 'Okay, I was just making sure.' He was like, 'I would never trade you to somewhere you ain't want to go because you chose to come to us from the Clippers.' I chose to go to Houston from LA. That's what he had said to me. 

"... [After the trade] Daryl was like, 'Hey man, it just moved so fast.' That's what he said," Paul explained. "I said, 'It's all good. I just want you to tell me one thing. You said you wasn't going to trade me right? To OKC?' He said, 'Yeah but ...' I said, 'That's all I needed to know.'"  

Paul spent just two seasons in Houston, and he isn't the only former Rockets guard who has expressed a similar sentiment when it comes to Morey.

Coincidence 

Paul's teammate while in Houston, James Harden had a strong relationship with Morey that was instrumental in Harden landing with the Sixers during the 2021-22 season. But, things soon soured when the star guard was seeking a new deal from Philly, which resulted in Harden publicly questioning Morey's integrity in front of a camp full of kids.  

"Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he's a part of," Harden said. "Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he's a part of." 

It's rare for a player to speak so openly, and so negatively, about an executive, but Harden clearly felt like Morey had mishandled his trust -- the same way that Paul felt. 

Keep in mind that these are two future Hall-of-Famers who are widely respected around the league. Now, more than ever, players hang out, interact and talk business off of the court, and the opinions of those two guys carry a lot of weight.

Carmelo Anthony also had some interesting comments about the way he was basically fired from the Rockets by Morey, saying he "didn't like how that went down." If you got Anthony talking after a couple glasses of wine, he'd probably have more to say.

Trend

And now, most recently, former Sixers forward Marcus Morris added his voice to the choir. 

“I don’t trust Daryl Morey," Morris said during a recent appearance on Kevin O'Connor's podcast . "I just don’t trust him. I think he’s thinking too far ahead of the way basketball needs to be played.

"I played there last year," Morris added. "I was playing really good basketball and [Daryl Morey] traded me for a bag of chips. ... Literally a bag of chips. ... And not only does he trade me he trades Patrick Beverley, his own guy that's playing really well. ... Some of the things that I think that he does it doesn't have anything to do with basketball." 

The NBA is a business, and sometimes difficult decisions need to be made. Everyone understands that. But the way one goes about executing and communicating those decisions is important, as is acting in good faith.

The concern here is pretty simple. As an organization, or an executive, you don't want a reputation as dishonest -- or disloyal -- to players, as such a reputation could make it more difficult to attract talent to your team. Unfortunately, it appears as though Morey has already started to garner such a reputation.  

Follow Michael Kaskey-Blomain on X @therealmikekb.