Since arriving in China, Harden also expressed to fans a desire to play a season there.
“Every time I come here, the love is just like … it’s crazy, you know what I mean?” he said. “So I feel like they deserve to actually see me come play here. … Love is always crazy here.”
But playing in China might not be as easy as Chinese fans would like if Harden isn’t traded to another NBA team soon and remains adamant about not playing for the Sixers.
According to the collective bargaining agreement, any player who “withholds playing services for more than 30 days after the start of the last season covered by his contract” could be deemed to have violated his contract and forbidden from entering free agency and signing with another professional team until the team he last played for “expressly agrees otherwise.”
James Harden sees a future in China 👀
“Every time I come here, the love is just like … it's crazy, you know what I mean? So I feel like they deserve to actually see me come play here.”
(via @PompeyOnSixers, https://t.co/SPofAmKdJF) pic.twitter.com/7rXLyoMZWk
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 17, 2023
This makes us think Harden’s NBA career might be over sooner than anyone expects. Going to China would likely single the end for any chance Harden has to get a massive NBA contract.
