The NBA has no time for James Harden’s shenanigans. After the superstar went viral with his remarks on Daryl Morey during a trip to China, the league handed Harden a hefty $100,000 fine, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
More specifically, sources told Woj that the fine relates to Harden’s comments about never playing for an organization that Morey is a part of again. This news also comes only a month or so after the league sent out a memo to all 30 teams in regards to how Damian Lillard was handling his recent trade request. To put it simply, the league made clear that any scare tactics related to not performing the services listed in a player’s contract would be subject to possible discipline.
The Harden situation remains at a standstill. While initial reports were that the 76ers’ point guard opted into his deal with the expectation to be traded, the market clearly failed to materialize. Rumor now has it that Philly will hold onto Harden and hope he suits up for them as they try to remain in the mix for a top spot in the Eastern Conference. Harden, on the other hand, has made clear that he has no plans to put on a 76ers uniform again.
I guess the question now is how will this fine impact the way he goes about things? We’ve seen Harden go to great lengths to push himself out of situations in the past, but will he now be more careful with what he says publicly? If one thing is for sure, I don’t think this mess is coming to an end any time soon.