The NBA announced Tuesday that Harden was fined $100,000 for his recent comments about 76ers president Daryl Morey, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
At a publicity event in China, Harden called Morey a "liar" and said he would "never be part of an organization that [Morey's] a part of." Notably, Morey and Harden had a positive relationship for years in Houston, and the former certainly played a part in luring the latter to Philadelphia two years ago. However, Harden was under the belief that he'd be handed a massive extension after he opted into his 2023-24 player option, which was worth $35.6 million, and when that didn't happen, the ten-time All-Star became disgruntled and requested a trade. To make the situation worse, Philadelphia's brass refused to entertain any serious deals before ending trade talks in mid-August, which prompted Harden's recent comments. Harden told a Houston reporter earlier this week that the relationship between him and the 76ers is "beyond repair," but Philadelphia's front office still hopes the former MVP will change his mind.