At an event in China, James Harden had to pay for his public comments branding 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey a “liar” and declaring he would never play for a team he was a part of again.
The NBA penalized the 10-time All-Star $100,000, the league’s maximum permissible amount, “for public comments on August 14 and 17 indicating that he would not perform the services called for under his player contract unless traded to another team,” according to an NBA statement.
James is upset with his situation because he reportedly was told he’d be traded “quickly” once he opted into his $35.6 million option. His desire was to begin the 2023-24 season with the Los Angeles Clippers, but a trade never came to fruition.
Morey confirmed James wanted a trade and that he would do his best to honor the request. But he said he wasn’t going to just trade him for nothing, and wanted to acquire a player who could help Philadelphia now, or for draft picks that could turn into a solid player.
The 76ers recently shut down trade talks for Harden, and ESPN reported he plans to attend training camp next month despite his desire to play elsewhere.
It’s unclear what Harden’s future holds in Philly, but Morey has proven he’s not afraid to hold onto a player until he finds an ideal trade for both sides.
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