NEW YORK — The NBA has fined Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden $100,000 for public comments he made about his status with the team.
Harden made public comments on Aug. 14 and Aug. 17, saying he would not perform the services called for under his player contract unless he were traded to another team. The league talked to Harden as part of its investigation and confirmed that his comments referenced Harden’s belief that the 76ers would not grant his trade request.
Harden picked up his player option for next season in June, but the 76ers have not found a deal, prompting Harden’s anger. Among other things, he called 76ers president Daryl Morey a liar at a promotional event in China.
“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden said at the event. “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.”
In an interview with Houston television station KHOU afterward, the 76ers guard said that his relationship with the team is beyond repair and is instead focusing his off-season on things he can control.
Harden opted into his player option for $35.6 million at the beginning of the off-season. According to reports, Harden opted in so that he could be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
“The league’s investigation, which included an interview of Harden, confirmed that these comments referenced Harden’s belief that the 76ers would not accommodate his request to be traded,” said Tuesday’s NBA statement.
Harden has been one of the league’s top players for the past decade, having won three scoring titles and the 2018 league MVP award. He led the league in assists last season. But he hasn’t won an NBA title, and with him turning 34 this week, time is running out.
The league was also investigating whether or not Harden was planning to hold out for the 2023-24 season — which would be a violation of the collective bargaining agreement — or is planning to bring up past contract discussions that would have constituted salary cap circumvention.
–with files from Sportsnet staff
from Sportsnet.ca
via i9bet
No comments:
Post a Comment