James Harden has to pay for his public comments calling 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey a “liar” and claiming to never play for a team he’s part of again at an event in China.
The NBA fined the 10-time All-Star $100,000 — the maximum allowable by the league — “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,” a statement from the NBA read.
DraftKings Massachusetts $150 Bonus Bets!
21+. Physically present in MA. Eligibility restrictions apply. Valid 1 per new customer. First-time depositors only who have not already redeemed $200 in bonus bets via OH or MA prelaunch offer. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 bet. $200 issued as bonus bets that expire 7 days (168 hours) after being awarded. See terms at http://draftkings.com/ma.
- Related: Mobile sports betting is live in Massachusetts on DraftKings. Get started with $150 in bonus bets
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.
- Highly anticipated sportsbooks like BetMGM Massachusetts, along with Caesars Sportsbook Massachusetts have been live since Spring of 2023. New players can use promo codes like the FanDuel Massachusetts promo code and the DraftKings Massachusetts promo.
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.
