James Harden fined $100K for comments made towards Daryl Morey
Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden has been fined $100,000 by the NBA for his public comments towards Daryl Morey and the Sixers organization on Aug. 14 and 17, the NBA announced Tuesday.
Last week, Harden called Morey “a liar” and said he would “never be a part of an organization” that Morey’s a part of again, even though he is still under contract with the 76ers through the 2023-24 season. On Aug. 17, in an interview with KHOU 11, a news organization based in Houston, Harden answered “I think so” when asked by a reporter if his relationship with Philadelphia is beyond repair.
NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Monday that, as part of the investigation, Harden said that Morey told Harden that he would trade him “quickly” after Harden opted into his $35.6 million player option, a stance that flipped once the Sixers could not agree to a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Per the press release, the NBA stated the investigation confirmed: “Harden’s belief that the 76ers would not accommodate his request to be traded.”
In the 2017 CBA, the maximum fine that could have been given to a player was $50K. But in the newly-signed CBA, according to ESPN NBA cap analyst and former front office executive Bobby Marks, players can now be fined a max of $100K for “1.) conduct or statements prejudicial or detrimental to the best interests of basketball, the NBA, or a team, or 2.) violations of the tampering rules.”
A fine was expected for Harden, who is not eligible for an extension and has requested three trades in less than a half-decade.
We’ll see whether or not Harden decides to make the situation uglier ahead of training camp, which begins in over a month, since he doesn’t have much of an option ahead of 2023-24 if he wants to depart in free agency.
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