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Keon Johnson Signs Two-Way Contract With Nets

November 1st, 2023 at 12:34pm CST by Rory Maher

NOVEMBER 1: The Nets have officially signed Johnson to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release.

OCTOBER 31: Free agent guard Keon Johnson plans to sign a two-way deal with the Nets, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

As our tracker shows, the Nets have an open two-way spot, so they won’t need to waive anyone to sign Johnson. Their 18-man roster will be full once the move is official.

Johnson, the 21st overall pick of the 2021 draft, was sent to Phoenix from Portland in the three-team blockbuster that saw Damian Lillard land with Milwaukee. The 21-year-old was waived by the Suns last week, just before the season started, due to the team’s roster crunch.

The fourth-year option on Johnson’s rookie scale contract was declined when he was cut by Phoenix, though the team will still be paying his $2.8MM salary this season. After clearing waivers, the third-year guard became an unrestricted free agent, but he was ineligible to return to the Suns on a two-way deal since his contract was guaranteed for more than $75K (the maximum two-way protection amount). Phoenix is now the lone NBA team with a two-way opening.

An explosive athlete who was viewed as a developmental project when he declared for the draft after one college season at Tennesseee, Johnson struggled to score efficiently over his first two NBA seasons with the Clippers and Trail Blazers, averaging a combined 5.9 PPG, 1.8 APG and 1.6 RPG on .362/.343/.739 shooting in 77 games (14.4 MPG). Due to the Nets’ crowded backcourt, Johnson will likely be spending a good chunk of 2023/24 in the G League with their affiliate in Long Island.

If Johnson officially signs on Wednesday, he’ll earn a two-way salary of $534,045 and will be eligible to appear in up to 48 regular season games.

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Pacific Notes: Booker, Beal, Goodwin, Mann, Powell, Lakers, Warriors

November 1st, 2023 at 11:47am CST by Luke Adams

There’s no specific timetable for the return of either Devin Booker (ankle) or Bradley Beal (back), Suns head coach Frank Vogel said on Tuesday, per Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter links). Both players have been doing some on-court work, but it has mostly been light shooting, so they haven’t fully ramped up for game action yet.

While Beal has yet to make his Suns debut, Jordan Goodwin – the other player the team acquired in that blockbuster summer deal – has been playing regular minutes in his first four games in Phoenix.

Known known more as a defender, Goodwin has provided some scoring and play-making off the bench with Booker and Beal out, writes Dana Scott of The Arizona Republic. He has made just 34.3% of his shots from the floor, but has posted solid averages of 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 21.0 minutes per night.

“Just take advantage of the opportunity. Once we get all of our guys back, those shots, the ones I’m taking right now are gonna be even more open,” Goodwin told Scott over the weekend.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • Clippers wings Terance Mann and Norman Powell were mentioned frequently in James Harden trade rumors in recent months, so they were relieved not to be on the move in the deal L.A. eventually made for the star guard, per Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. “It shows the value that they see in us,” Powell said. “You always want that as a player in a league like this: to find a team, organization, and front office that believes in your ability, believes in what you bring to the table, and believes you can help them win at a high level.”
  • After promising to make tweaks to his rotation following Sunday’s loss to Sacramento, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham leaned on bigger lineups in Monday’s victory over Orlando, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Both Christian Wood (27) and Jaxson Hayes (10) set new season highs in minutes played, as the team frequently deployed a second big man alongside Anthony Davis. “Whenever (Wood is) in there with (Davis), they’re just two huge presences on the defensive glass,” Ham said. “Christian gets some of the toughest defensive rebounds I’ve ever seen anyone get. So, he and (Davis) being combined for, I think it was 25 defensive rebounds, we needed every one of them.”
  • Although it’s a small sample size, the Warriors‘ second unit is thriving and the team’s depth has been a strength in the early going this season, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic and Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Stephen Curry believes the strong play of the second unit – led by Chris Paul – is having a ripple effect on the starters. “That’s different for us, when that unit is so impactful,” Curry said, per Slater. “We’re over on the bench enjoying what we’re watching. When you’re watching good basketball, you feel good about how we’re all playing. It flows.”
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Sixers Trade James Harden To Clippers In Three-Team Deal

November 1st, 2023 at 10:45am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

NOVEMBER 1: The trade is official, according to press releases from all three teams. The terms of the deal are as follows:

  • Clippers acquire James Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Filip Petrusev.
  • Sixers acquire Marcus Morris; Nicolas Batum; Robert Covington; Kenyon Martin Jr.; the Clippers’ 2028 first-round pick (unprotected); either the Rockets’ (top-four protected), Clippers’, or Thunder’s 2026 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable); the right to swap their own 2029 first-round pick with the Clippers’ 2029 first-round pick (top-three protected); a 2024 second-round pick (details below); the Clippers’ 2029 second-round pick; and cash ($2MM; from Clippers).
    • Note: The 2024 second-round pick acquired by the Sixers will be either the Raptors’, Pacers’, Jazz’s, or Cavaliers’ pick, whichever is most favorable. If either the Jazz’s or Cavaliers’ pick is the most favorable, Philadelphia would instead receive the second-most favorable of the four.
  • Thunder acquire the right to swap either their own 2027 first-round pick or the Nuggets’ 2027 first-round pick (top-five protected) for the Clippers’ 2027 first-round pick (unprotected) and cash ($1.1MM; from Clippers).

As expected, Danny Green was waived by the Sixers in order to make room for the incoming players.

Harden received the maximum portion of his trade bonus ($40,595) that he could while still making the deal legal for salary-matching purposes, Hoops Rumors has learned.

OCTOBER 31: The Sixers are shipping star guard James Harden to the Clippers, his latest destination of choice, sources inform Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

According to Wojnarowski, Philadelphia is sending out Harden, veteran forward P.J. Tucker and rookie center Filip Petrusev to Los Angeles in exchange for forwards Kenyon Martin Jr., Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum and Robert Covington, plus some significant future draft equity.

The 76ers will receive the Clippers’ 2028 unprotected first-round draft pick, two second-rounders and a 2029 pick swap, as well as an additional first-round pick. That extra first-round pick the Sixers are acquiring in the blockbuster deal is a 2026 first-rounder that had been controlled by the Thunder, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Thunder will receive a 2027 first-round pick swap from the Clippers in exchange for that 2026 first-rounder. Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports reports (via Twitter) that the 2026 first-round selection the Thunder are trading to Philadelphia will be the least favorable of the Clippers’ pick, OKC’s own pick, and Houston’s selection (top-four protected).

The two second-round picks the Clippers are trading to the Sixers are 2024 and 2029 selections, sources tell Wojnarowski. The ’29 pick will be Los Angeles’ own, but the Clips have already traded away their own 2024 second-round pick, so the other second-rounder in this deal will be one of two others that L.A. controls (one is Toronto’s pick; the other could be Indiana’s, Utah’s, or Cleveland’s).

Philadelphia wing Danny Green is being cut to create an open roster spot for the new additions from the Clippers, sources tell Wojnarowski. Green’s salary had only been partially guaranteed for $200K.

According to Wojnarowski, the Sixers and Clippers – who have had conversations about Harden for months – began talking again over the weekend following L.A.’s recent “pause” in negotiations, with Philadelphia recognizing it was becoming increasingly untenable to incorporate Harden back into its lineup.

This will bring the latest Harden trade request saga to a close. The 10-time All-Star opted into the final season of his current contract, worth $35.6MM, and immediately requested a trade rather than joining a new team in free agency. It was the third time in three years that he had sought a change of scenery via trade — he was originally dealt from Houston to Brooklyn in 2021, then from Brooklyn to Philadelphia in 2022.

Following his June trade request, Harden made some explosive comments over the summer about Sixers team president Daryl Morey, calling him a “liar” and saying he had no intention of being part of the same organization as Morey. When the NBA launched an investigation into those comments, Harden informed league investigators that he called Morey a liar because he told the former MVP he’d be traded “quickly” after he asked to be moved. The incident cost him $100K.

Harden skipped media day and the first day of training camp before reporting to the 76ers this fall. He participated in just one 5-on-5 scrimmage and no preseason games before leaving the team again for what was described as a personal matter, only to return after a 10-day absence. He has missed all of Philadelphia’s regular season games to this point as he continues to ramp up to game shape.

Harden struggled with injuries in 2022/23. Though the 34-year-old was clearly no longer in his athletic prime, he remained his prolific self while playing alongside eventual MVP Joel Embiid. Across 58 regular season contests, he averaged 21.0 points per game on .441/.385/.867 shooting, also contributing 10.7 assists, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per night.

According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Harden is “ecstatic” to be joining the Clippers alongside fellow Southern California natives Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook. Los Angeles has long sought a play-making point guard who can stretch the floor alongside its two star forwards and will now insert Harden into that role for at least the 2023/24 season.

Harden is on an expiring contract and won’t become extension-eligible before reaching unrestricted free agency next July. Leonard, George, and Westbrook all have 2024/25 player options, so they could also hit the open market after the season if things don’t go well in L.A., though Leonard and George remain eligible to sign extensions before then.

Harden is hoping to fly to Los Angeles right away and there’s a chance he’ll attend the Clippers’ home game against Orlando on Tuesday, Shelburne adds, though it will likely still be a few days before he makes his debut for his new team.

It remains to be seen whether or not the Clippers will hang onto Petrusev, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic, though Tucker is in their plans.

While the Sixers won’t land Terance Mann – whose inclusion in the deal was long believed to be a sticking point – they’ll acquire four players on expiring contracts and get out from under Tucker’s 2024/25 player option, further increasing their cap flexibility for the summer of 2024. They project to have between $50-65MM in space next offseason, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

The draft assets and expiring contracts the Sixers are acquiring from Los Angeles also put Philadelphia in position to make another pre-deadline trade to further reinforce its roster. The 76ers are expected to scour the trade market for another “high-level guard,” writes Wojnarowski.

The four players the Sixers are adding in this deal will be ineligible to have their salaries aggregated in a separate trade for the next two months, but could be flipped immediately as long as they’re not being combined with other players for salary-matching purposes.

Meanwhile, as Marks observes (via Twitter), Harden’s contract includes a $5.1MM trade bonus, which Philadelphia would be responsible for paying. However, based on the terms that have been reported so far, he would have to waive most or all of that bonus for the trade to be legal.

The Clippers’ projected luxury tax bill is projected to increase by approximately $29MM once the deal is finalized, Marks adds (via Twitter), while the Sixers’ projected tax bill will dip by $13.4MM.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

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Recap Of 2024/25 Rookie Scale Option Decisions

November 1st, 2023 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

Decisions on rookie scale options for the 2024/25 season were due on Tuesday — any team that wanted to exercise a third- or fourth-year option on a player for next season was required to do so by October 31.

As is typically the case, a huge majority of those options were picked up. Even for top picks, who are paid higher salaries due to the NBA’s rookie scale, those third- and fourth-year options are relatively team-friendly. So unless a player has fallen well short of his team’s expectations, it generally makes sense to lock in his salary for the following season at this point.

However, not every player with a 2024/25 team option had it exercised by Tuesday’s deadline. A player who had his option declined will now be on track to reach unrestricted free agency during the summer of 2024, assuming he’s not waived before then. At the end of the season, his team won’t be able to offer them a starting salary that exceed the value of his declined option.

Listed below are the players who had their options turned down, followed by the players whose options were exercised. If a player had his option picked up, his ’24/25 salary is now guaranteed and he won’t be eligible for free agency until at least 2025.

Declined options:

Note: Players marked with an asterisk (*) were waived.

Bouknight was the only player who was retained while his team declined his 2024/25 rookie scale option.

Even though Bouknight was the 11th overall pick in 2021, the option decision didn’t come as a surprise. The 23-year-old’s option salary was well above the veteran’s minimum, and injuries, legal issues, and on-court struggles have all diminished his stock since he entered the NBA. It wouldn’t be a shock if he’s cut before the end of the season, though the Hornets appear willing for now to wait out his recovery from meniscus surgery.

The other five players in this group were waived between the start of the 2023/24 league year in July and the beginning of the regular season — all but Jones have since found new homes on two-way deals, with Johnson reportedly set to officially sign a two-way contract with Brooklyn this week.

Like Bouknight, Jones didn’t establish himself as a rotation player in his first two NBA seasons, having been leapfrogged in the frontcourt rotation by Mark Williams in 2022/23. There also appeared to be some concerns about his maturity and mindset after he made a series of unusual social media posts this offseason — Jones wasn’t with the Hornets for training camp even before the team opted to waive him.

Of the four players Charlotte selected in the 2021 draft, only second-rounder JT Thor looks like a good bet to stick with the club beyond 2023/24.

Meanwhile, although they ended up being waived by the Thunder and Grizzlies following trades, Garuba, Christopher, and Washington were all former Rockets first-rounders. Houston selected seven players in the first rounds of the 2021 and 2022 drafts, then used cap room to bring in several veteran free agents this summer, creating a roster crunch. The young players who hadn’t already established themselves as core pieces didn’t survive that crunch.

Exercised options:

Fourth year:

Note: These players will become eligible for rookie scale extensions in July of 2024. If they’re not extended, they’ll be on track for restricted free agency in 2025.

Joshua Primo, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 draft, was waived by the Spurs in October 2022, so his 2024/25 option (worth $5,982,725) was declined at that time.

Third year:

Note: Teams will have to make fourth-year option decisions for 2025/26 on these players by October 31, 2024.

For a team-by-team breakdown of this year’s rookie scale option decisions for the 2024/25 season, along with full stories on each decision, you can check out our tracker.

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Clippers Notes: Trade, Harden, Tucker, Westbrook

November 1st, 2023 at 9:04am CST by Luke Adams

Four rival scouts and three executives who spoke to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times about the Clippers‘ trade for James Harden were split on what the team gave up and how significant an impact the former MVP will have on the roster.

“This is something that can go two, three different ways, but a motivated Harden is a good Harden,” one scout said. “I think we’ll get a hard-playing James. Now when the playoffs come, that’s always interesting how he regresses. But I think we’ll see some big-game James in the coming months.”

As Greif writes, some of the sources he spoke to believed the cost to acquire Harden was about right, but pointed out that it will be a lot to have surrendered if he ends up being a one-year rental. Others are curious about how the “pecking order” will play out in Los Angeles, given how many ball-dominant players the Clippers now have on their roster in Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook.

“I’m not saying it can’t work. I think it can,” another scout said. “They’re clearly better with James Harden in terms of talent, skill and basketball IQ. But how’s it all going to shake out? I don’t see how — with the willingness of these guys seems to be there to make it work — that it wouldn’t work. But sometimes the best-laid plans don’t always go the way you think. I understand why the Clippers did it.”

Here’s more on the Clippers:

  • Mark Medina of Sportsnaut writes that the Clippers’ acquisition of Harden is a big gamble that could result in a big payoff, while Jim Alexander of The Southern California News Group believes that it’s a roll of the dice that isn’t worth the risk.
  • While the trade between the Clippers and Sixers hasn’t been officially finalized and announced, Harden and P.J. Tucker arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday and greeted their new teammates in the Clippers’ locker room, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Westbrook, who also played with Harden in Oklahoma City and Houston, told reporters with a smile that he wouldn’t discuss the trade until it was official, but didn’t dispute that he’s happy about the impending move. “Yeah,” he repeatedly said. “I mean, s–t, why wouldn’t I be? Yeah, excuse my language, but definitely, definitely happy.” Harden offered a briefer answer when asked by a reporter how excited he is to be a Clipper: “You don’t understand.”
  • Even before the acquisition of Harden, Westbrook had been happy playing for the Clippers, notes Youngmisuk (via Twitter). Asked on Tuesday about it, Westbrook said he’s grateful to have been embraced by the organization and has rediscovered the joy of playing basketball since joining the team last season.
  • There’s an expectation that the trade will become official on Wednesday, but Harden and Tucker likely won’t play in tonight’s game vs. the Lakers, per Youngmisuk. The Clippers will have four days off after Wednesday’s contest, which they can use to prepare their new-look roster for Monday’s game in New York.
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Carlik Jones Signs With Zhejiang Golden Bulls

November 1st, 2023 at 8:01am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent guard Carlik Jones has signed with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to an announcement from agent Josh Goodwin (Instagram link; hat tip to Eurohoops.net).

It has been a big year for Jones, who was named the 2023 G League MVP after averaging 26.1 points per game on .483/.360/.789 shooting in 24 regular season appearances (38.3 MPG) for the Windy City Bulls. He also contributed 7.0 assists and 4.4 rebounds per night. That performance helped earned him a promotion from his two-way contract to Chicago’s standard roster in March.

Jones then represented South Sudan during this summer’s World Cup, helping the program claim a spot in the 12-team Olympic field for the first time ever. The 25-year-old had some huge games against international competition, averaging a double-double (20.4 PPG, 10.6 APG) in five World Cup contests.

However, Jones’ 2023/24 salary was non-guaranteed, so he became a cap casualty ahead of the regular season. The Bulls waived him, opting to carry an open spot on their 15-man roster to begin the season for financial reasons.

While Jones would have been eligible to sign a two-way contract with any team, it’s unclear if he received NBA interest after being cut by Chicago. His new deal in China may come with a higher salary than a two-way contract, and will certainly give him a more substantial role than he would’ve had on an NBA roster.

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Pistons Exercise 2024/25 Options On Cunningham, Ivey, Duren

November 1st, 2023 at 6:45am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have picked up their rookie scale team options for 2024/25 on guard Cade Cunningham, guard Jaden Ivey, and center Jalen Duren, according to RealGM’s transaction log.

The cut-off point to exercise those options was the end of the day on Tuesday, so the Pistons officially picked them up before the deadline passed.

While the Pistons took the decisions down to the wire, there was never any doubt about which way they’d go. The three young players are cornerstones of the franchise’s rebuild and their rookie scale contracts are relatively modest investments. Cunningham’s $13,940,809 salary for the 2024/25 season is now guaranteed, as is Ivey’s $7,977,240 figure and Duren’s $4,536,840 cap charge.

Cunningham missed most of the 2022/23 season due to a leg injury but was a popular breakout candidate coming into this season. The former No. 1 overall pick has averaged 21.0 points and 7.5 assists in 33.8 minutes per game through his first four games, making 40.0% of his three-pointers. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer.

Ivey, who started 73 of 74 games as a rookie after being drafted fifth overall out of Purdue, is providing scoring punch off the bench for Detroit to begin his second season, averaging 12.3 PPG and 3.3 APG on .475/.438/.800 shooting in four games (20.3 MPG).

The No. 13 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Duren is off to an exceptional start in his second season, averaging 15.5 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, and 2.0 BPG in four starts (30.8 MPG), though he tweaked his ankle in Monday’s loss to Oklahoma City and is questionable for Thursday’s game vs. Portland. Despite being in his second season, the big man is one of the NBA’s youngest players — he’ll turn 20 later this month.

The Pistons will have until October 31, 2024 to exercise their fourth-year options for 2025/26 on Ivey and Duren.

Detroit was the last team whose rookie scale option decisions for ’24/25 were reported or announced. The full list of decisions can be found right here.

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Southeast Notes: Butler, Richardson, Anthony, Magic, Hornets

October 31st, 2023 at 10:32pm CST by Rory Maher

After an injury-riddled 2022/23 season that surprisingly saw Miami reach the NBA Finals as the No. 8 seed in the East, the Heat once again have dealt with several injuries to start ’23/24, with starters and rotation players missing time. That has played a factor in the team’s 1-3 start, which includes three consecutive road losses, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes.

According to Chiang, Jimmy Butler — who already missed a game due to rest — is the latest player to pop up on the injury report, having been listed as questionable for Wednesday’s matchup with Brooklyn due to right knee tendinitis. While there’s optimism the injury isn’t serious, it’s still a bit concerning that Butler is less than 100%, particularly since that knee has given him problems over the past few seasons, Chiang reports (via Twitter).

After three home games this week, the Heat will play nine of their following ten games on the road, and they are fully aware that this is a key stretch of the schedule, despite being very early in the season.

“This is an important week for us coming up at home,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We have a lot of work to do. We’ve had a lot of moving parts early on in the season. That’s not an excuse. We need to just have a productive week. We have three games at home and we have some time with shootarounds, practices. We just need to move the needle this week.”

Here’s more from the Southeast:

  • One bit of good news for the Heat is that Josh Richardson was able to make his season debut in Monday’s loss at Milwaukee, notching six points, three rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes. He says he’s still working his way back into shape after his preseason was cut short due to a foot injury. “Hopefully I can bring something positive to their mix, just a little ball-handling, a little pace,” Richardson said, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Defensively, I think I can do some things for us. But it’s really about getting my feet wet, because I really didn’t have a preseason. So just trying to get back into the swing of things.”
  • Magic guard Cole Anthony, who signed a three-year, $39MM rookie scale extension before the season started, recently had an interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that covers a number of topics, including his new deal, how he’s been able to improve throughout his career, and the team’s goals.
  • Speaking to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel, head coach Jamahl Mosley credited the Magic‘s depth and health for the team’s 2-1 start. “It helps out so much because someone’s number can always be called,” Mosley said. “The work that our coaches put in with these guys is so detailed and they’ll be ready no matter when their number is called.” As Beede notes, instead of going with set rotations, Mosley has improvised and gone with who has been playing the best from game-to-game.
  • With the NFL’s Panthers struggling, the Hornets have a chance to become Charlotte’s premier sports team, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. However, that will only transpire if the Hornets — who are currently mired in the NBA’s longest playoff drought — can show fans they’re worth following, Boone opines.
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Sixers Pick Up 2024/25 Option On Jaden Springer

October 31st, 2023 at 8:45pm CST by Rory Maher

8:45pm: Springer’s option has officially been exercised, per the Sixers.

8:25pm: The Sixers are picking up their fourth-year option on guard Jaden Springer, sources tell Kyle Neubeck and Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).

While most rookie scale option decisions are a formality, in part due to the relatively modest cap hits, there was some uncertainty about whether or not the Sixers would exercise their 2024/25 option on Springer — it will hurt their ability to maximize cap room next offseason, which is a priority for the front office. But evidently Philadelphia is high enough on Springer to pay him a guaranteed $4,018,363 next season.

Another reason there was a level of uncertainty on Springer’s fourth-year option is the fact that he only played 18 regular season games for a total of 95 minutes over his first two seasons. However, while Springer hasn’t had a regular role at the NBA level, he had a strong season with the Delaware Blue Coats (Philadelphia’s G League affiliate) in ’22/23, earning Finals MVP honors for the NBAGL champions.

The No. 28 overall pick of the 2021 draft after one college season at Tennessee, Springer was one of the youngest players in his draft class. He just turned 21 years old last month and is now in his third NBA season.

Under new head coach Nick Nurse, Springer played well during preseason action and has appeared in two of Philadelphia’s three games thus far in ’23/24, blocking three shots in 12 minutes of playing time. He recently talked about trying to stay ready despite an uncertain role.

The full list of ’24/25 rookie scale option decisions can be found right here.

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Sixers Won’t Be Penalized For Harden’s Unavailability

October 31st, 2023 at 7:38pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA has concluded its investigation into James Harden‘s absence last Thursday when the Sixers faced the Bucks on national television, according Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT, who reports (via Twitter) that Philadelphia isn’t expected to be penalized.

The league’s new player participation policy stipulates that players who have made All-Star or All-NBA teams within the past three seasons need to have an approved absence to miss national TV games. Harden was an All-Star in both 2021 and 2022.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN noted last week when the investigation began, injuries, personal reasons and rare or unusual circumstances are considered valid excuses for star players missing national TV games. Harden wasn’t hurt at the time, but the NBA may have justified a lack of punishment for either of the other two categories — Harden had been away from the team for personal reasons for 10 days leading up to that contest, and might not have been in game shape.

Since the Sixers are trading Harden to the Clippers, punishing Philadelphia for his absence last week probably would have just taken a little bit of shine off a major news story. That also may have played a factor in the league’s decision, but that’s just speculation on my part.

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