2023-24 NBA Free Agency 06/30 at 6PM

[macdaddy]

If Harden's agent's were telling him he could get 4 years/$200 million then they are terrible agents.  Who's going to sign him at this point in his career to a huge deal?  He should be loving playing for the sixers if they'll have him.  after that the only option is some kind of deal with the lakers or clippers.  I can't imagine any serious franchise wanting him to be their centerpiece.   And I'm actually a big Harden fan but he has to see the writing on the wall. 

I will say that Kyrie getting voted in to the all star game was a joke and Harden should have been pissed.  

[JayBirdHawk]

4 minutes ago, bleachkit said:

He can do what he did in Brooklyn. Play so bad the team has no choice but to trade him. Or he can malinger until he gets a trade like K. Leonard did. 

He also did the same in Houston, when is enough enough?

Or, they can pay him to stay home if he's going to be disruptive. Then release him after the playoff eligibility date passes. He looses his bird rights going into next offseason making his options even more limited.

He has a 15% trade kicker so that's an extra $5.4 million he gets if traded. Why not waive it if he wants to get traded that badly (don't know if he's offered buy just saying).

Thing is he just doesn't have a big market. It would behoove him to be the good soldier and play nice for a mid season trade or a SnT in the offseason.

The New CBA rule that if he misses the first 30 days [I need to verify this] in a hold out, since he only has one year left, the Sixers could bar him from FAcy. (The Ben Simmons rule)

 

[JayBirdHawk]

3 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

If Harden's agent's were telling him he could get 4 years/$200 million then they are terrible agents.  Who's going to sign him at this point in his career to a huge deal?  He should be loving playing for the sixers if they'll have him.  after that the only option is some kind of deal with the lakers or clippers.  I can't imagine any serious franchise wanting him to be their centerpiece.   And I'm actually a big Harden fan but he has to see the writing on the wall. 

I will say that Kyrie getting voted in to the all star game was a joke and Harden should have been pissed.  

Harden's main issue is still wanting to be 'the guy' and get paid as such. He seems unwilling to adjust to the allstar players he has around him.  That's why he wanted to go back to Houston.

[Spud2nique]

6 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Harden's main issue is still wanting to be 'the guy' and get paid as such. He seems unwilling to adjust to the allstar players he has around him.  That's why he wanted to go back to Houston.

Him and Russ won’t change for nuttin! Their way or the Long Island expressway baby!

[AHF]

1 hour ago, Spud2nique said:

that’s quite a lil story there AHF.. it’s like your own lil squawk bachelorette goin on! I dig.

It reminded me of a situation where someone was pissed that their fallback option didn't want them but then I had to keep adding more details given the ridiculousness of his situation.  Like it isn't only that he tried to go to Houston first but then felt betrayed by Philly when they didn't immediately jump at him (like he didn't jump to return there) but then he picks up his contract obligating  him to play for them this year and expects them to nevertheless trade him and not to act like they control his situation now that he is under contract.  

It is hard to come up with an analogy that fully conveys the sense of entitlement.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

2 hours ago, Spud2nique said:

that’s quite a lil story there AHF.. it’s like your own lil squawk bachelorette goin on! I dig.

I thought it was a Saved By The Bell reference.  He's talking about Kelly and Lisa and the prom?

[JayBirdHawk]

Zach Lowe on James Harden: ‘I have heard that his relationship with his teammates or remain good. He likes playing with Embiid although there’s obviously been this push and pull of like, do I get to play Harden ball or do I have to play set up Embiid ball? What’s the right balance? I’ve heard I think the reporting that his initial meetings with Nick Nurse went well, is legit, like there are parts of that organization that he likes. So it’ll be very interesting to see.’

– via Apple Podcasts

[TheNorthCydeRises]

2 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Harden's main issue is still wanting to be 'the guy' and get paid as such. He seems unwilling to adjust to the allstar players he has around him.  That's why he wanted to go back to Houston.

 

That's not the only reason he wanted to go back to Houston . . .

 

[JayBirdHawk]

No meaningful dialogue between Heat, Blazers for Damian Lillard trade

Bobby Marks: There have been no conversations. It’s been very quiet certainly from the Miami front. I think the only way we hear more about Dame is if Dame makes it messy. And I don’t think Damian Lillard right now is willing to make it messy in Portland. Zach Lowe: I was away for a while, but I’ve been back for a bit now making calls and catching up with people. I’ve heard there’s been nothing, I mean, like no meaningful dialogue at all.

 

– via Apple Podcasts

[AHF]

54 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

I thought it was a Saved By The Bell reference.  He's talking about Kelly and Lisa and the prom?

Once I picked Kelly to with the high school prom analogy I figured I'd go with Lisa as well.  She seems like she'd have the good sense to turn down Harden.  Not sure if there was a similar storyline on the show or anything but I'll bet if there was the lesson was that there are consequences to playing the field and expecting your original significant other to be there waiting like Harden did.

[AUhawksfan]

I know we are in an era where players are moving around a lot more but in a fight or flight sense, I've never seen someone so quick to bolt from a situation.

Given the amount of big time games he has disappeared in and the amount of times he has wanted to flee a team because the wind has shifted is concerning.  He really needs some perspective because if he's going to demand certain things then he needs to show he is capable of sucking up the hard times too and he hasn't shown that.

I hope Philly continues to play hard ball and make him stay.  Keep him on the "no fly" list.  He needs it if he is going to grow at all as a player from a mental standpoint.  Or he'll just throw an adult tantrum, we shall see.

[Spud2nique]

16 minutes ago, AUhawksfan said:

I hope Philly continues to play hard ball

Same, throw Portland in for me too! Harden and Dame.

[JayBirdHawk]

19 minutes ago, AUhawksfan said:

I know we are in an era where players are moving around a lot more but in a fight or flight sense, I've never seen someone so quick to bolt from a situation.

Given the amount of big time games he has disappeared in and the amount of times he has wanted to flee a team because the wind has shifted is concerning.  He really needs some perspective because if he's going to demand certain things then he needs to show he is capable of sucking up the hard times too and he hasn't shown that.

I hope Philly continues to play hard ball and make him stay.  Keep him on the "no fly" list.  He needs it if he is going to grow at all as a player from a mental standpoint.  Or he'll just throw an adult tantrum, we shall see.

I think part of the problem is also that Harden has operated without a full time agent for most of his career. He hired one earlier this year in Jan/Feb - didn't have a full time agent since 2017. He's just used a part time agent to negotiate upcoming contracts.

[AUhawksfan]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

I think part of the problem is also that Harden has operated without a full time agent for most of his career. He hired one earlier this year in Jan/Feb - didn't have a full time agent since 2017. He's just used a part time agent to negotiate upcoming contracts.

Didn't put in the investment and now he's paying for it.  Literally.

[Jdawgflow]

4 hours ago, AUhawksfan said:

I know we are in an era where players are moving around a lot more but in a fight or flight sense, I've never seen someone so quick to bolt from a situation.

Given the amount of big time games he has disappeared in and the amount of times he has wanted to flee a team because the wind has shifted is concerning.  He really needs some perspective because if he's going to demand certain things then he needs to show he is capable of sucking up the hard times too and he hasn't shown that.

I hope Philly continues to play hard ball and make him stay.  Keep him on the "no fly" list.  He needs it if he is going to grow at all as a player from a mental standpoint.  Or he'll just throw an adult tantrum, we shall see.

Another reason that we should be grateful for Trae Young.

[AHF]

Just now, Jdawgflow said:

Another reason that we should be grateful for Trae Young.

And DM after this offseason.

[Jdawgflow]

7 minutes ago, AHF said:

And DM after this offseason.

Amen.  We have some “real ones” as the kids say.

[JayBirdHawk]

Blazers ready to keep Damian Lillard for first 20 games of season so interested teams improve their offers?

Adrian Wojnarowski: Very little of substance has happened since the first several days of July free agency. This has been an offseason in th league, especially in the last few weeks, where I’ve seen this league shut down in a way it really hadn’t the last several years. But now, executives with teams are back from vacation, kids have started school. People are back in the offices, players are starting to come in for the start of training camp, working out in the facilities. So there wil be more conversations between the Blazers and prospective teams over the next few weeks than there were certainly over the last few months. This is a deadline-driven league, the next real deadline of any real substance is the start of training camp. And I think you can expect the Blazers to talk with teams again before then but, I think this is an organization that is fully prepared, and I think Damian Lilled is also prepared, for the possibility that this training camp may start with him in camp and then if you’re the Blazers, you wait to see what happens in the first 20 to 25 games of the season, to see what direction teams go in. Teams may become interested who aren’t interested now or teams who are interested now may be willing to give more in trades and it certainly gives you the possibility to construct three-team deals, which is what a Damian Lillard deal might look like.

 

– via Twitter

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

Sigh!

 

Kevin Porter Jr. on Monday was arrested and charged with assault and strangulation in New York, a New York Police Department spokesperson said.

“Upon arrival officers were informed that a 26-year-old female sustained a laceration to the right side of her face and was complaining about pain to her neck,” the spokesperson said. “A preliminary investigation on scene determined that a known individual struck her multiple times upon her body and placed his hands around her neck.

The woman was taken to an area hospital for evaluation.

Porter appeared in 59 games last season with the Rockets, averaging 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 34.3 minutes.

The Rockets and Porter agreed to a four-year, $82.5 million contract extension last October with only Year 1 guaranteed.
JONATHAN FEIGEN/HOUSTON CHRONICLE