- James Harden has no interest in reporting to the Sixers’ training camp
- Missing the camp would be a bad move for the guard
- James Harden has been vocal about moving out of Philadelphia
James Harden will be looking at a hefty price if he skips the Philadelphia 76ers training camp ahead of the new season.
Amid reports of the guard expected to not report to camp, and his public slam of the 76ers president Daryl Morey, ESPN analyst and NBA insider Bobby Marks explained the ramifications of the risky move. Taking to Twitter in response to the site’s story of Harden blasting Morey, Marks wrote:
Here’s the CBA language for Withholding Services:
Withholding services: A player who withholds playing services called for by a Player Contract for more than thirty (30) days after the start of the last Season covered by his Player Contract shall be deemed not to have “complet[ed] his Player Contract by rendering the playing services called for thereunder.” Accordingly, such a player shall not be a Veteran Free Agent and shall not be entitled to negotiate or sign a Player Contract with any other professional basketball team unless and until the Team for which the player last played expressly agreed otherwise.
Here’s the CBA language for Withholding Services:
Withholding services: A player who withholds playing services called for by a Player Contract for more than thirty (30) days after the start of the last Season covered by his Player Contract shall be deemed not to have… https://t.co/EEJkn73LZG
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) August 14, 2023
To simplify it further, Harden will not be in a position to even have conversations with other teams about playing for them if he breaks the rules and skips training camp.
Harden did make a mess at training camp ahead of the 2020 season when he wanted out of the Houston Rockets.
Viral clips of him partying in Las Vegas and Atlanta did the rounds on social media, but on his part, ‘The Beard’ said he was training for the start of the NBA season with his personal trainers. The murky affair ended with him heading to the Brooklyn Nets.
Now, it appears to be deja vu, but with Marks outlining the effects of Harden’s absence in training camp, it’s interesting to see which direction this heads.
James Harden Wants A Long-Term Contract, But Can He Get It?
While there is no doubt that James Harden is a game-changer every single time he steps onto the court, his desire for a long-term contract will be something most franchises will be reluctant to consider.
His numbers and his CV are certainly proof that Harden is a force. This past season, he averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game for the Sixers, and the former MVP has proven more than reliable in clutch moments.
Harden will make any team a contender, but his wish and the league’s current pattern of building a team around superstars means there’s less chance of him getting a booming contract for a lengthy period of time.
The saga gets murkier by the day, and only time will tell who Harden will play for by the start of the 2023-24 season.
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