James Harden has been fined $100,000 for publicly demanding to be traded through comments that included ripping the Philadelphia 76ers’ Daryl Morey as “a liar,” the NBA announced Tuesday.
The 10-time All-Star asked for a trade in June, the same month he picked up his $35.6 million option for the 2023-24 season. But a deal never happened, and ESPN reported this month that the 76ers were ending trade discussions for the 33-year-old guard.
Harden then expressed his displeasure with Morey, the 76ers’ president of basketball operations, during an Aug. 14 event for Adidas in China.
“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden said at the time. “Let me say that again. Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.”
Harden shared a similar sentiment in an interview that Houston’s KHOU 11 published Aug. 17, saying “I think so” when asked if his situation in Philadelphia was beyond repair.
The NBA cited Harden’s Aug. 14 and Aug. 17 comments in its decision to fine him.
“The league’s investigation, which included an interview of Harden, confirmed that these comments referenced Harden’s belief that the 76ers would not accommodate his request to be traded,” the NBA said in its announcement.
Morey was the general manager of the Houston Rockets from 2007 to 2020. Harden played with Houston from 2012 to 2021.
The Nets traded for Harden in 2021, teaming him up with fellow All-Stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The trio only played 16 games together, however, before the Nets traded the disgruntled Harden to Philadelphia in a mid-season deal that brought back Ben Simmons.
Philadelphia went 54-28 and finished third in the Eastern Conference during Harden’s first full season there in 2022-23. The team has not advanced past the second round in either postseason since Harden joined, despite boasting a roster that also includes Joel Embiid, the reigning NBA MVP.
Harden averaged 21 points and 10.7 assists per game last season.