Adam Silver Says NBA Isn't Investigating James Harden-to-76ers Trade for Tampering
February 20, 2022
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told reporters Saturday that the league is not currently investigating the Philadelphia 76ers' acquisition of James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets.
Silver added that no team has complained about the trade.
Leading up to the deal, which sent Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and Ben Simmons to the Nets, Harden had been linked to the Sixers based on his relationship with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. The two have a good relationship from their time with the Houston Rockets.
Before the trade, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that some NBA teams would think about asking the league to investigate any deal in which Harden was sent to the Sixers.
"Some front-office executives believe talks are going on now between Harden and the 76ers on a potential offseason move, and this could be considered tampering by the league," Haynes wrote.
It should also be noted that Morey was fined $50,000 by the NBA in December 2020 for tampering after talking about Harden in a since-deleted social media post. At the time, Harden was still a member of the Rockets.
Even if the NBA does launch an investigation into the Sixers' trade for Harden, the deal won't be reversed. Philadelphia could be fined and lose draft picks, but the deal is done, and now Harden will have the opportunity to compete for a title alongside Joel Embiid.
Harden has yet to suit up for the 76ers, as he's still rehabbing from a hamstring injury. However, he's expected to make his Philly debut shortly after the All-Star break. The Sixers' next game is Friday on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their next home game isn't until March 2 against the New York Knicks.
Through 44 games this season, Harden is averaging 22.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 10.2 assists while shooting 41.4 percent from the floor and 33.2 percent from deep. He's expected to be a good fit alongside Embiid and should help the Sixers make a deep playoff run.
Philly sits third in the Eastern Conference with a 35-23 record. The team is in contention to finish with the best record in the East for the second straight season.