Not Hard to Visit China; A Possible Trip to China for James Harden
Not Hard to Visit China; A Possible Trip to China for James Harden
James Harden, guard for the Philadelphia 76ers, has added another bizarre twist to the NBA’s most sensational narrative by suggesting he would prefer to play in China.
These remarks were made by Harden on the same trip to China in which he referred to Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl More as “a liar” and vowed never to play for a team coached by a man named Stan Van Gundy.
Says he, “Every time I come here, the love is just like… it’s crazy, you know what I mean?” The Philadelphia Inquirer quotes Harden as saying. Therefore, I believe it is only fair that I show up to play here. Here, love is always a whirlwind.
After trade talks with Philadelphia broke down this week, Harden’s initial comments were an intriguing attempt by the veteran to gain leverage. Harden wanted to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers back in June.
Harden’s reasons for wanting to play in China instead of the NBA are twofold: After Harden exercised his player option worth $35.6 million, the Sixers were under no obligation to trade him, and if he were not to complete his contract.
He would be prohibited from signing with another professional basketball team, such as one in China, under the terms of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement.
If a player were to hold out, the CBA states that “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 agrees otherwise” in the “Withholding Services” section.
Harden may face a slew of penalties and suspensions from the NBA if he doesn’t report to the team or stops making incendiary remarks about his predicament in Philadelphia, and Morey allegedly won’t move Harden unless he gets a good offer.
The “love” that Harden professed to feel while in China. The large audiences that showed up to his events across the country could be a contributing factor.
Or the ten thousand bottles of wine he had available that sold out in seconds during a livestream with a popular Chinese internet personality. Although basketball enjoys tremendous popularity in China, the country has been without a true superstar since Stephon Marbury left in 2017 and Hall of Famer Yao Ming retired from the NBA in 2011.
Harden would be much more famous than Marbury, what with his 10 All-Star appearances, 6 NBA first-team selections, and 2018 MVP award, but the chances of his playing for a Chinese team are slim unless the 76ers let him go for nothing.
