Last week, James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers dominated the headlines in the NBA, with the veteran guard blasting Daryl Morey publicly during an Adidas event in China.
Harden called Morey a “liar” twice during this event, which many believe was a reaction to the 76ers pulling out of trade talks with the Los Angeles Clippers that would’ve resulted in the former NBA MVP going back to his hometown to resume his playing career in the league.
After Harden’s comments made the rounds on social media and all the sports talk shows, no response was made by the team, nor did Morey come out with anything publicly to address the situation, which clearly has gotten pretty ugly.
However, the NBA didn’t like how Harden openly voiced his grievance with Morey and has fined the veteran guard $100,000 for his actions.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, this fine has sparked a reaction from the NBPA, which will file a grievance disputing the fine.
The NBPA will file a grievance to an arbitrator disputing NBA’s $100K fine on Philadelphia’s James Harden and league’s assertion that his recent statements violated collective bargaining agreement rules against public trade demands. pic.twitter.com/jAHSU4REa7
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 22, 2023
Things definitely seem to be changing in the NBA when it comes to trade requests from players around the league and how they handle themselves after these requests become public.
Fellow superstar Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers was also recently threatened with discipline by the league for trying to force his way to the Miami Heat after making his trade demand.
It seems like an unprecedented time in the NBA, with the league trying to take back some power from the players in this supposed player empowerment era.
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Stephen A. Smith Reacts To James Harden Getting Fined By The NBA