Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden has been handed a $100k fine by the NBA for public comments he made about a trade. The former Brooklyn Nets player is clearly unhappy with recent developments and is looking to leave, but the NBA felt his comments deserved censure.
The 34-year-old, who started his career at Oklahoma City Thunder before moving to the Houston Rockets for a nine-year spell between 2012-21 and then moved to Brooklyn for one season prior to joining the 76ers, picked up his player option in June but is yet to be traded.
This led to the 10-time NBA All-Star pick focusing his anger towards the organization, and one wonders how much longer he will remain at the Wells Fargo Center. If you are a 76ers fan and still want to back Philadelphia in the NBA betting, then you might want to check out Pennlive.com for the latest key insights into the sportsbook in the state, thereby aiding your push for the best possible odds and payout.
Harden opted to blast 76ers president Daryl Money during a promotional tour of China, stating;
“Daryl Morey is a liar, and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,”
“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.”
The National Basketball Players Association (NPBA) backed Harden in terms of the fine handed to Harden, responding in support of the player;
“We respectfully disagree with the league’s decision to discipline James Harden for recent comments he made, which we believe do not violate the rule against public trade demands. We intend to file a grievance and have the matter heard by our Arbitrator.”
By all accounts, Harden’s response came about after his hoped-for move to the Los Angeles Clippers fell apart after, according to the Philadelphia 76ers, the team didn’t make a big enough offer for the player.
The fine from the NBA is the maximum they could have handed down and has led to a mixture of responses from players, pundits, and fans.
The very public breakdown between the team and Harden is apparently not a massive surprise for some, including the player’s former Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale, who responded when asked about how surprised he was by the situation in a rather direct manner;
“Yeah, not so much,”
“I’ve been involved in a million meetings as a coach and GM, and, you know, players hear what they want to hear a lot of times. And Daryl’s smart,”
“My whole take on the thing is I think Daryl’s really hooked up with James, but I think ownership looked at it. Let’s face it: if the owner looks at you and says, ‘We’re signing that dude,’ you’re signing that dude. Story’s over. And if the owner looks at you and says, ‘We’re not signing that dude,’ you’re not signing him.” McHale concluded.