NBA fines James Harden after calling Daryl Morey ‘a liar’
Derik Hamilton/AP Photo
James Harden talked that talk, but the NBA is not letting him walk that walk.
The NBA has fined Harden $100,000 for “indicating that he would not perform the services called for under his player contract unless traded to another team,” the league announced Tuesday.
READ MORE: Harden-less 76ers Incoming—What Does this Mean for the Sixers?
Those comments came as Harden publicly called 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey a “liar” at an event in China last week. He also reiterated his relationship with the Sixers was beyond repair in separate comments to a Houston TV station.
Time out. Weren’t Harden and Morey boys? Why would Harden say such a thing about a guy he worked with for years in Houston with the Rockets, and now Sixers, together? Harden picked up his $35.6 million player option this offseason, which Harden and Morey reportedly had a conversation about and agreed the Sixers would work to trade Harden.
Harden’s “liar” statement was established by his thought that Morey did not keep their promise. Harden reportedly only wanted to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. But when a considerable offer did not come about, the Sixers reportedly ended trade discussions and planned on keeping Harden for this coming season.
What Harden says, what he thinks, and what he feels certainly differ from what Harden is really capable of accomplishing in this circumstance. Since he picked up his player option, he has zero power. He has to play in Philly until they trade him, because if he quits on the team like he did in Houston and Brooklyn, he could possibly lower his free-agent status for next off-season.
So basically, it is a mess.
