NBA reportedly opens tampering investigation into 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers have had an eventful offseason, re-signing All-Star point-guard James Harden to a team-friendly deal while adding free-agent pieces such as veteran P.J. Tucker and Danuel House to the roster.
However, according to the NBA, the Sixers' offseason moves may not have been on the up and up.
On Friday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the NBA had opened a tampering investigation into the Sixers' contract dealings with Harden and their free-agent class.
The NBA's investigation will reportedly zero in on the events leading up to Harden declining his $47M player option for the 2022-23 season and the trickle-down effect.
Harden declined his option on June 29, the day before the start of NBA free agency. On June 30, the Sixers agreed to deals with Tucker and House just minutes into the legal tampering period.
The timing of the Sixers' moves creates speculation that the team had a deal already worked out with Harden before he chose to opt out of his player option. Such an action, as Wojnarowski noted, would be against CBA rules.
If the Sixers are found guilty of wrongdoing in the case of Harden's contract situation, that will also call into question the validity of their free agent deals.
The Sixers signed Tucker to a fully guaranteed three-year, $33.2M contract while inking House for two years, $8.5M.
Weeks after agreeing to the deal, Harden finally signed a two-year deal reportedly worth $68.6M on Wednesday.
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