4-time NBA champion and Stephen Curry’s former teammate Andre Iguduola recently gave a unique take on the drama surrounding James Harden, during his recent appearance on JJ Reddick’s The Old Man and the Three podcast. Harden had claimed that the 76ers president Daryl Morey had promised him a trade after he exercised his player option for the 2023-24 season. He later claimed that Morey was a liar and that he was never going to play for an organization that was headed by him. Iguodala claimed that if Harden is to be fined, the 76ers should also be given one. However, he wants the franchise’s fine to be a whopping $5,000,000.
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Harden had apparently only exercised the player option because he did not want the 76ers to miss out on a trade package. However, Morey apparently went back on his word, and it was reported that the 76ers expect Harden to show up for the new season. The situation obviously angered the 34-year-old, who hit back publicly whilst on a tour in China.
Andre Iguodala believes Philadelphia 76ers should be fined $5,000,000
Iguodala claimed that James Harden did nothing wrong via his comments, and merely said the truth. A 4-time NBA champion with the Warriors, Iguodala claimed that supermax contracts are bound to get into such situations.
This is because franchises are desperate to look for favorable trade packages even after agreeing to trade the player. For Harden, the situation was difficult because he initially agreed to exercise the player option.
However, as the 76ers failed to find a good package, they ended up trying to force him to stay, leading to the rant from the versatile guard. A member of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), Iguodala talked about an ambitious $5,000,000 fine for the 76ers:
“Players, we only got a window, it’s like Evan said, I went too far on teamwork and it eventually reared its head and my career and my career was shortened because I went team first. So, we all have that, we gotta survive, and teams should be fined as well when that player is fined. And so, when James 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 a free agency. We all know that James was told you are going to get this deal, hush hush, under the table. What did James do that he was fined? He said, I was lied to. If I lie to you, I might be a liar in that moment, but I was a liar, in that five seconds. So yes, James Harden made a true statement, so why did he get fined? I would prefer the team gets fined $5,000,000, because, we can’t prove it, but that happened. That’s where I get upset, and that’s where a supermax gets in trouble because, it’s always going to be that scenario, it’s gonna happen to somebody every year.”
The comments surely put things in perspective. As it seems, Harden was initially promised a trade as he wanted and decided to exercise the player option for the benefit of the 76ers. However, Daryl Morey ended up making a U-turn, which is assumed to be due to a lack of favorable packages. Harden, on the other hand, appears to have been left in limbo, and merely reported facts.
James Harden thinks relationship with Morey cannot be repaired
James Harden has not eased up at Morey in recent weeks. After his initial comments in China, Harden claimed that it was too late for him to repair relationship with Morey.
Instead, Harden claimed that he was focused on the new season. Claiming that he was working hard and keeping fit, the 34-year-old did not mention which team he would start the season with.
Apparently looking for a trade to the LA Clippers, Harden looks intent on forcing a move away. He appears to have no intention of working things out with Daryl Morey, and simply wants to have a successful season, wherever he ends up at.
