James Harden has made it loud and clear that he doesn’t want to play for the Philadelphia 76ers anymore.
Once his friend, he has now made Daryl Morey his sworn enemy, going as far as to call him a liar and to vow that he will never suit up for a team he’s a part of ever again.
Needless to say, that fueled plenty of rumors and speculation about a potential holdout.
Should that be the case, Bobby Marks of ESPN reaffirms that holding out would not grant him free-agent status at the end of the season.
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
Instead, Harden’s contract would be considered non-completed, meaning he’d be forced to stay for another season unless the team says otherwise.
Simply put, he wouldn’t get his money or his freedom, and he’d be forced to play for one year there unless he’s traded.
Harden has forced his way out of every team he’s been a part of, which is a likely reason why teams are being hesitant to trade for him.
Daryl Morey may or may not have lied to Harden; we will never know that for sure.
But Harden is the only one to blame for this situation.
Otherwise, he would’ve gotten the deal he wanted as an unrestricted free agent.
NEXT: Insider Details Reason Behind James Harden's Stance Against Daryl Morey
