NBA Swing: Season Starts With Harden, Bulls, and NBA vs BIG3

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Harden Sent Home by Security

After several weeks with no real news and being absent from the Sixers, Chris Haynes gave an update on the James Harden situation, with the continued rumor there could be a potential trade down the line. Harden returned to the team and showed up to their practice facility on Wednesday, ahead of their first game of the season against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. It would then be reported that Harden was approached by team officials during practice, who told him that it would be beneficial for him to remain in Philly to ramp up instead of joining the team for their initial two-game road trip. According to Hayes’ sources, Harden would arrive at the airport to join the team for their flight, where he was stopped by security and told he was not permitted to join the team. With the new rules for resting superstars, Harden would have to be on the bench if he were to join the team, something that could cause a distraction to the team and coaches. The NBA has already begun an investigation of whether Philly and Harden are violating the new rules established in the CBA. It is unknown if Harden will be available for their home opener against the Portland Trailblazers on Saturday, but the fans and league will be talking about Harden regardless of whether he shows up or not. Rumors suggest the Los Angeles Clippers are less interested in Harden than they were before, with the team being more interested in Malcolm Brogdon and pausing talks with Philly. While he can still be relied on for scoring and distribution, Harden’s trade value is currently the lowest it’s been in a long time.

Chicago Has Player-Only Meeting After Just One Game

On Wednesday night, the Chicago Bulls played their first game of the season against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Chicago would finish the first quarter leading 35-33 but would be down 61-55 at the half. They would remain close through much of the third quarter and would even take a short lead, but completely fell apart towards the end of the quarter. Chicago would end up losing by 20. When coach Billy Donovan entered the locker room, players were already talking and asked Donovan to leave to talk amongst themselves. Last season, the Bulls were in the news for having several players meetings after devastating losses. Bringing back their core, and adding a few new pieces, the Bulls were not able to compete with the young Thunder in the second half of Wednesday’s game. The news continues to pile up in Chicago as the team did not agree on a rookie extension for forward Patrick Williams, who has Bulls fans split on his worth to the team. Shams Charania of The Athletic also reported early this week that the Bulls and DeMar DeRozan are not close to an extension. With DeMar being a two-time All-Star in Chicago but the team not reaching expectations, there is a strong possibility that an extension may not happen. If the Bulls’ opening night performance is what fans can expect this season, the team may finally blow it up at the trade deadline and trade DeMar’s expiring contract.

U.S. Department of Justice Investigating NBA over Alleged Anticompetitive Behavior

In a story first broke by TMZ Sports earlier this week, the United States Department of Justice launched an inquiry into the NBA, alleging anticompetitive behavior from the league to vitiate Ice Cube’s Big3 basketball league. Ice Cube’s Big3 league, which mostly consists of retired NBA players, has been around since 2017. The report claims the NBA has made multiple efforts to prevent the Big3 league from growing including preventing sponsors and partners from doing business with the league, including television networks. Current NBA players are not allowed to participate in the league, even though the two seasons do not intertwine, and players participate in other leagues during the offseason. Referees are also not allowed to officiate any Big3 games. In addition, NBA team owners have been discouraged from investing in the league while currently own a team. Mike Bass, a spokesperson for the NBA addresses the allegations of anticompetitive behavior, saying they are not true. He continued, saying the league has been supportive of the Big3 league since its creation in 2017, but has declined to invest in the league. If the DOJ finds the NBA guilty of committing antitrust violations, the league could face a hefty fine.