Daryl Morey was not surprised James Harden has attempted to make things personal in seeking a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers, a source told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Sixers informed Harden’s agent of their decision to pull him from the trade market over the weekend.
When Harden picked up his $35.6 million player option for 23-24, he told the Sixers he wanted a trade and preferred it be to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Sixers and Clippers have been unable to gain traction on a trade.
Harden’s initial displeasure with Morey came when the Sixers declined to negotiate with him before the official start of free agency, sources tell Pompey.
Nicolas Batum plans on retiring from competitive basketball at the end of the 23-24 season when his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers expires, according to his wife Lily Tatum.
Batum will play for France in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, which will be his final games. Batum had previously announced his plans to retire from France’s national team following the Olympics.
Batum was the 25th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft and has played for the Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets and Clippers.
Mikal Bridges and Austin Reaves are first-time teammates on Team USA for this summer’s FIBA World Cup. The Brooklyn Nets star is counting himself as a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers emerging star. Bridges also said people need to start thinking of Reaves in a different light.
“This ain’t no underdog s*** no more,” Bridges said of Reaves. “He’s here.”
Bridges went on to compliment Reaves’ game, including his ability to draw free throws.
“I’ve been a fan. … I think the biggest thing about him I like is that he knows how to draw a foul,” Bridges said of Reaves foul-drawing ability. “He knows how to create fouls and get to the free-throw line and that’s like a skill. He’s not just getting there. There’s a skill to that and it’s very underrated. People don’t really understand it but the ones that do, they know how tough it is to guard. That s***’s an art.”
