Despite the Clippers ending trade talks with the Sixers over James Harden, he is still hopeful a deal will get done before the start of training camp next week.
The disgruntled star “still hopes to be moved to the LA Clippers” Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reports, citing sources.
“Philadelphia staffers, meanwhile, can still talk themselves into the idea of Harden reporting to camp, playing for a title hopeful and, therefore, playing his way into the trade value the Sixers require to relinquish the All-Star,” Fischer said.
The ten-time All-Star called Philly president Daryl Morey a liar and vowed to never play under him again and there have been multiple reports that he won’t show up to training camp.
According to the NBA’s CBA, if Harden withholds playing services for more than 30 days, he won’t be veteran free agent and won’t be able to sign or negotiate a contract with another team, unless Philly agree otherwise.
Harden was fined $100,000 for his comments on Morey for “indicating he would not perform the services called for under his player contract unless traded to another team.”
Recently, former Sixer Andre Iguodala defended Harden and believes that franchises should also get fined for situations like Harden’s.
“Teams should be fined then as well when that player is fined,” Iguodala said on The Old Man and the Three. “When James goes and makes these comments and James is fined, we all know they changed the rules on when you can start negotiating with players before free agency because everybody had their deal done before free agency. We all know that James was told, ‘You’re going to get this deal, hush-hush, under the table.’ I wasn’t there. I don’t know what happened, James didn’t tell me this. It’s always an assumption. The team can say it was an assumption. What did James do wrong to get fined? He said, ‘I was lied to.’ If I lie to you, I’m a liar in that moment, that may not be a liar, but I was liar in that five seconds. So yes, James Harden made a true statement. So, why would he get fined? I would prefer the team should be fined five million dollars. Come on now. We can’t prove it, but that happened. That’s where I get upset.”
The NBA world waits with baited breath to see what will happen come training camp, which is set to begin on October 3 for Philly at Colorado State University.