NBA is investigating 76ers
Superstar Harden is joining the superstar team
October 31, 2023, 9:51 a.m
Basketball star James Harden desperately wants to leave the Philadelphia 76ers. The 10-time All-Star says his relationship with the team is “irreparable.” After months of arguing, he is able to leave. He joins the Los Angeles Clippers, who now have a team full of superstars.
NBA star James Harden has prevailed after a month-long dispute and can leave the Philadelphia 76ers early. According to ESPN, the 34-year-old will be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. Further details are not yet known. With the Clippers, the point guard will now play with the superstar duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as well as his former Oklahoma teammate Russell Westbrook. Harden has had a public argument with his franchise in recent months. Among other things, he accused Daryl Morey, president of the 76ers’ basketball department, of lying several times. The ten-time All-Star also described the relationship with the team as “irreparable.”
Harden was missing in the 117:118 opening loss against the Milwaukee Bucks. Afterwards, the NBA opened an investigation into Philadelphia. The 76ers waived Harden because he had not been with the team for ten days and was insisting on a change. The franchise justified his absence with Harden’s physical condition. According to the rules, teams are only allowed to leave their star players out of games broadcast on national TV because of injuries, personal reasons and “rare and exceptional circumstances.”
With Harden, former Bamberg PJ Tucker and Filip Petrusev will go to LA, in return the Sixers will receive Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin and several draft picks. The ten-time all-star’s farewell from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets was noisy in 2021. The NBA fined London Olympian Harden $100,000 in August for statements he made about his refusal to play for Philadelphia. Harden was the most valuable player (MVP) of the 2017/18 season and the league’s best scorer three times.
Schröder’s Raptors are not getting up to speed
Meanwhile, world champions Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner lost for the first time this season. With the Orlando Magic they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 103:106. Franz Wagner played a strong game and had 16 points and 8 rebounds, but in the end he couldn’t prevent the Magic from losing despite a long lead in the final quarter. His last attempt for a three-pointer missed the basket. His older brother Moritz Wagner scored five points in twelve minutes off the bench. One day after the defeat against the Sacramento Kings, superstar LeBron James played again for a long time for the Lakers and recorded 19 points in 33 minutes. The most valuable man on the court was Anthony Davis with 26 points and 19 rebounds for the record champions from Los Angeles. Teammate D’Angelo Russell collected 28 points.
Meanwhile, Dennis Schröder suffered his third defeat in a row with the Toronto Raptors. The Canadians lost 91:99 to the previously winless Portland Trail Blazers, with the world champion captain scoring ten points. His eight assists were the best in the game. For Portland, Deandre Ayton had a strong 23 rebounds and also scored 22 points. Meanwhile, Luka Dončić led the Dallas Mavericks to their third win in the third game of the season and recorded a triple double with double-digit scores in the most important statistical categories against the Memphis Grizzlies. In the 125:110 win, the Slovenian had 35 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. Maxi Kleber contributed seven points and five assists. Nikola Jokic was outstanding in the Denver Nuggets’ 110:102 win against the Utah Jazz. The Serb had 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. It was the 107th triple double of his career.