NBA Launches Investigation Into Harden Situation
The James Harden situation in Philadelphia has turned from bad to worse. It’s now been a month since the former MVP requested a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. And since then, all we’ve heard are rumours and speculation.
Evidently looking to expedite the process, Harden called Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey a “liar” during his tour in China. This was after reports began circulating that the team had shut down trade talks with the Clippers.
Complicating matters further, Harden said he will not participate in the Sixers’ training camp- something we’ve already seen before in the Ben Simmons saga a few years back. Now the league itself will be stepping in to review whether or not Philadelphia wilfully circumvented the salary cap, and violated any CBA rules with their previous agreement with the disgruntled guard.
NBA to Launch an Investigation
According to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA is set to review the James Harden contract situation. “The NBA has launched an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden’s public admonishment of the franchise’s president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey, sources told ESPN. The league office is believed to be pursuing an understanding of whether Harden was portending a 2023-24 holdout in violation of the league’s collective bargaining agreement or had been referencing past contract discussions with the organization that might constitute salary cap circumvention, sources said.”
It appears the NBA will look to see if any party committed a violation of the league rules. But even if Philly is exonerated of any wrongdoing, that doesn’t necessarily mean that a resolution is just around the corner. If the Ben Simmons saga was any indication, this disagreement could drag into the 2023-2024 regular season.
Harden averaged 21 points, 10.7 assists, and 6.1 rebounds last season with the Sixers who saw Joel Embiid become the team’s first MVP winner since Allen Iverson. However, the Embiid-Harden one-two punch didn’t produce a championship as the Sixers suffered yet another playoff exit in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics.
If what James Harden alleges is true, Game Seven of the 2023 East semis may have been his last game as a Sixer. And it was a largely forgettable one at that. He finished with nine points, seven assists, six rebounds, and five turnovers in the Sixers’ 112-88 loss.
Possible Penalties
In essence Harden opted out of his contract in June of last year, before signing for $14M less in what was then spun as a pay cut to free up salary to attract additional players.
Harden signed a two-year $68.6M contract with the Sixers last year and exercised his player option for the 2023-2024 season believing he and the front office would find a trade that would satisfy both sides. With no such deal materializing, it appears as though Harden is now suffering from some buyer’s remorse and looking to force his way out of town.
While there’s nothing illegal per se about Harden’s initial pay cut, if the NBA finds that there were backroom deals or promises made between Sixers executives and Harden, the club could be facing massive penalties. Several years prior, the Minnesota Timberwolves wilfully circumvented the cap by signing Joe Smith to a series of 1 year deals in an attempt to acquire his Bird rights, with the promises of a larger deal down the road.
When the league concluded their investigation, the club was fined $3.5M, and forfeited their 1st round draft picks for the next 5 years (although their 2003 pick was eventually restored). Smith’s contract was also voided, making him a free agent once more. It’s been hypothesized that Harden, who could possess knowledge of some quid pro quo agreements, is now hoping that the league will step in and make him a free agent in similar fashion.
The soon to be 34 year old was originally set to join a loaded free agency class next year. But with his current situation taking a turn for the worse and the NBA intervening to see if any violations occurred, many can’t help but wonder: could we see James Harden sit out a season?
The list of veteran players on the wrong side of 30 sitting out a year and then returning to their previous All-Star calibre form isn’t extensive. Some recent examples include Carmelo Anthony sitting out all but 10 games in 2018-19 before leaving the Rockets to join the Trailblazers, and John Wall sitting out the 2021-22 campaign in similar fashion. Both would eventually return to the NBA, but their numbers fell off a cliff when they came back.
With training camps set to open, one can assume that the league office will be hoping to rectify this situation sooner rather than later, so as not to overshadow opening night in October.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.