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James Harden’s tour across China continues, and after calling Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey a liar earlier this week, the former league MVP is now flirting with the idea of playing in China at some point. It’s unclear if he meant actually signing with a team in China to play a season, or if he would be interested in the NBA hosting a game in the country like the league has done in the past. But it’s clear that he has a fondness for the fans in the country.

“Every time I come here, the love is just like … it’s crazy, you know what I mean?” Harden said, per the Philadelphia Inquirer. “So I feel like they deserve to actually see me come play here. … Love is always crazy here.”

Those comments come just a few days after the former league MVP publicly called Morey a liar and said he would never play for a team ran by Morey, amidst a contract and trade dispute. Harden requested a trade back in June, with the hope of landing on the Clippers. However, after on-and-off trade talks over the past couple months, it was reported last week that Philadelphia was ending those discussions with L.A. and planned to bring Harden into training camp.

Harden is reportedly prepared to sit out training camp if he isn’t traded, however, sitting out for an extended period of time could impede with him signing with a new team next summer when he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent. There’s a clause in the league’s collective bargaining agreement that says if a player in the final year of their contract “withholds services” for more than 30 days, they will be in violation of their contract and could be blocked from becoming a free agent until the team he last played for “expressly agrees otherwise.” So even if Harden did want to go play in China next year, he would need the Sixers approval if he holds out for more than 30 days and isn’t traded by the team this season.

But let’s say Harden did manage to get himself over to China, there’s no doubt he would put up ridiculous numbers as many former NBA players have in the past. He would be the biggest former NBA star to ever go play overseas, and would immediately become the face of any team he signed with. The money is nowhere near as lucrative, as the Chinese Basketball Association, the biggest league in China, allows just $5 million to be spent on foreign players. It would be a significant pay cut for Harden, who is set to make $35.6 million this season alone. But if Harden chooses to play there closer to the end of his career, perhaps that money won’t matter as much as it does right now.

The NBA finally released its schedule for the 2023-24 season on Thursday, which means we can finally take a look at some of the key games on the calendar for No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama. The French phenom who was taken first overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the June draft will make his NBA debut on Oct. 25 at home against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. It’s a real “trial by fire” moment for the rookie right off the bat, and it should be an exciting matchup on both sides.

As one of the most heralded prospects in recent memory, each of Wembanyama’s games is going to draw tons of attention both at home and on the road. But there are five key matchups worth circling on the calendar that will be must-see television when it happens. Here’s five of the most intriguing games for Wembanyama and the Spurs for the upcoming season.

NBA debut: Mavericks at Spurs — Oct. 25
It’s his first game, it’s nationally televised and it’s against the last highly touted international prospect in Doncic. This is going to be an entertaining one, and all eyes are going to be on Wemby to see how he performs in his first real test. Wembanyama shouldn’t have too difficult of a time putting points on the board given Dallas’ lack of size to contend with the 7-3 behemoth. But his defense will certainly be put to the test in the paint as Doncic and Kyrie Irving will surely try to see how solid of a rim protector he is.

First matchup vs. Chet Holmgren: Spurs at Thunder — Nov. 14
We’ve got a double unicorn sighting in this matchup. Holmgren and Wembanyama could end up being a rivalry talked about years from now as both are over 7-feet and possess the grace and skill of much smaller guards. They’ve been compared to each other before, and my CBS Sports colleague Colin Ward-Henninger wrote about how Wemby overshadowed Holmgren in Summer League just due to the sheer spectacle that was Wemby-mania this offseason. But on Nov. 14 we’ll get to see these two unique players face off for the first of what could be many matchups in what could be long careers for the both of them.

Wembanyama vs. LeBron: Lakers at Spurs — Dec. 13
This is the first of two games in three nights against the Lakers in mid-December. But the first one will be the more talked about matchup as Wemby will make his debut against LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers. James has had high praise for Wembanyama in the past, saying last season: “Everybody’s been a unicorn over the last few years, “but [Wembanyama] is more like an alien.” Well LeBron will get to face off against that alien in December, and Wembanyama will have a tough test with Anthony Davis likely tasked with slowing down he No. 1 overall pick.

Wembanyama vs. Scoot Henderson: Spurs at Blazers — Dec. 28
Prior to being drafted No. 1 overall, Wembanyama had this to say about Henderson: “He’s really a great player. If I was never born, I think he would deserve the first spot.” That’s kind of like a compliment, right? Henderson figures to be an electric guard, and depending on if the Blazers ever get the Damian Lillard trade request sorted out, he’ll be the face of Portland’s team for the foreseeable future. Henderson also already made the bold claim that he will be Rookie of the Year this season, despite many already tabbing Wembanyama for that award. There’s countless storylines about this matchup, and luckily we’re getting it early on the calendar so we won’t have to wait too long to see these two face off.

No. 1 vs No. 2: Hornets at Spurs — Jan. 12
Unlike previous draft years where there was some debate about who should go No. 1 overall, Wembanyama was the clear cut choice. Instead, there was more debate about who the Hornets should take between Miller and Henderson. Charlotte opted for Miler and so we’ll get to see the top two draft picks face off in mid-January. Miller didn’t have a great Summer League showing, so hopefully by the time this game rolls around he’ll find his rhythm in Charlotte.

James Harden has stirred up some drama between himself and the Philadelphia 76ers. Harden’s former Houston Rockets head coach, Kevin McHale, is not exactly shocked that the relationship has begun to sour.

After a big contract extension with the 76ers didn’t materialize, Harden picked up his player option for a one-year, $35.6 million deal with Philly but quickly requested a trade. Harden reportedly wanted to be dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers, but that trade has not come to fruition, and the 76ers star has now called general manager Daryl Morey a “liar.”

These are not sunny times in Philadelphia. McHale, a Boston Celtics legend, coached Harden for seasons in Houston and spoke with Heavy Sports about the bitter situation.

McHale said he feels for Morey because sometimes general managers are caught between the player and ownership in these stand-offs. McHale said he suspects Morey may have wanted to work on a long-term extension for Harden, but that might not have been 100% his call.

“James wanted a big extension from Philly, and Philly wouldn’t give it to him, and that’s not a Daryl decision,” McHale said. “Daryl’s got a part of that, of course, but that’s an owner decision. So (Harden) was really mad, saying Daryl lied to him, but, you know, maybe they saw Game 7 against the Celtics and said, ‘I’m not interested in that.’

“I think Daryl would have probably tried to extend him and keep everything happy. But as far as trading him goes, you know, Daryl gets stubborn. It’s going to be interesting.”

Harden’s postseason struggles have apparently led to internal strife before. McHale said that after the 2015 NBA playoffs, when he benched Harden in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals, the guard showed up to next year’s camp “fat and didn’t feel like playing.”

At this point, it seems like Harden has sufficiently burned bridges with the 76ers. During an event in China, Harden slammed Morey publicly.

“Daryl Morey is a liar, and I will never be part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden said. “Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be part of an organization that he’s a part of.”

Now, the 76ers have lost some leverage in trade talks, and Morey might not be inclined to give Harden away for pennies on the dollar. When former 76ers guard Ben Simmons wanted to be traded, Morey took his time, and Simmons even sat out games at the start of the 2021-22 season before he was finally sent to the Brooklyn Nets.

The full schedule for the 2023-24 NBA regular season was released on Thursday afternoon. Or, almost the full schedule. Due to the in-season tournament, only 80 of 82 games have been set for each team. The remaining two games will be determined by how they fare in the new event and will be announced in December. Everything else, though, is locked in. We have the schedule for opening night, Christmas Day and the in-season tournament, as well as key dates throughout the season.

Regular-season action will begin on Oct. 24 and conclude on April 14, with the All-Star break set for Feb. 16-18. As for the in-season tournament, it will run from Nov. 3-Dec. 9.

More early notes on the schedule:

Opening night is set for Oct. 24 and will feature the defending champion Denver Nuggets against the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Phoenix Suns versus the Golden State Warriors. No Eastern Conference teams will be in action.
No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama will make his NBA debut on Oct. 25 when the San Antonio Spurs host the Dallas Mavericks.
LeBron James and Kevin Durant will play against each other for the first time since 2018 on Oct. 26 when Phoenix visits Los Angeles (That 2018 game was a Christmas Day matchup between the Lakers and Warriors. James injured his groin in the third quarter.) On the same night, Joel Embiid and the Sixers will visit Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.
Miami will visit Boston in a rematch of the last two Eastern Conference finals on Oct. 27.
The first matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers will take place on Nov. 1.
The Heat will visit the Nuggets in a rematch of the 2023 NBA Finals on Feb. 29.
Opening night
The champs will get their rings before a rematch of the 2023 Western Conference finals, in which Denver swept the Lakers and left James and Anthony Davis agreeing that the Nuggets were probably the best team they had played against in their four years together.
As well as being Chris Paul’s first meeting with Phoenix since it traded him to Golden State, the Suns-Warriors game will be Durant’s first at Chase Center with fans in attendance. The arena opened after Durant left Golden State, and he has been injured for all of his visits since, except for a game on Feb. 13, 2021, in which no tickets were sold because of pandemic restrictions.
Christmas Day
This will be the first time since 2008 that the Lakers and Celtics face off on Christmas. This will also be the Warriors’ 11th consecutive year playing on Christmas and James’ 17th consecutive year playing on Christmas. Last year, James became the first player in NBA history to appear in 17 total Christmas games.
Here’s the full Christmas Day slate:

Milwaukee at New York, 12 p.m. ET
Golden State at Denver, 2:30 p.m. ET
Boston at Los Angeles, 5 p.m. ET
Philadelphia at Miami, 8 p.m. ET
Dallas at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m. ET
In-season tournament
The first in-season tournament will begin on Nov. 3 with the first of seven tournament nights. The group stage will continue on Nov. 10, Nov. 14, Nov. 17, Nov. 21, Nov. 24, and Nov. 28 (i.e. every Tuesday and Friday that month, with the exception of Nov. 7, which is Election Day.)
The schedule includes Mavs-Nuggets, Lakers-Suns, Heat-Knicks, Bucks-Heat, Warriors-Kings and more.
Six group winners and two wild cards will advance to the knockout stage — the quarterfinals will be played on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5, with the higher seed having home-court advantage, and the four winners will advance to Las Vegas, where the semifinals will be played on Dec. 7 and the championship game will be played on Dec. 9.

The NBA schedule was released on Thursday and we’ve tracked key dates from all angles, including games to circle for the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks and Warriors. Below we are looking at reunion dates, when a marquee player who has switched teams will be making his first trip back to his former home arena as a visiting player (Gabe Vincent or Max Strus returning to Miami is cool and all, but it’s not going to make this list, nor is Grant Williams going back to Boston or Bruce Brown returning to Denver). We’re looking at the big fish here.

Games are listed in chronological order. Let’s get to it.

*LP denotes League Pass

1. Chris Paul in Phoenix: Warriors at Suns — Nov. 22 (ESPN)
   Paul returns to the Valley with the Warriors after spending three seasons with the Suns and helping lead them to the 2021 Finals. Paul basically aged out in Phoenix, which brought in Bradley Beal to form a big three with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, but he was the key figure in getting that franchise on a title-contending trajectory.
2. Mikal Bridges in Phoenix: Nets at Suns — Dec. 13 (LP)
   Bridges wasn’t a marquee player in Phoenix, but he became one in Brooklyn and he’ll surely have an extra hop in his step for this one. Bridges was traded to Brooklyn in the Kevin Durant deal but didn’t come back to Phoenix post-trade last season.
3. Jordan Poole in Golden State: Wizards at Warriors — Dec. 22 (ESPN)
   Poole was a big part of the Warriors’ 2022 championship but only lasted one season after signing a four-year $140 million contract. Things ended pretty badly for Poole with Golden State, starting with the punch heard round the basketball world from Draymond Green and finishing with an abysmal postseason showing in 2023. He’ll be a go-to guy in Washington and will surely be looking to jack up plenty of shots against his old team.
4. Jalen Brunson in Dallas: Knicks at Mavericks — Jan. 11 (LP)
   Brunson didn’t play in New York’s only trip to Dallas last season, so this will actually mark his first time on the American Airlines court as a visiting player. This will be a tough one for Mavericks fans. Letting Brunson get away looked bad at the time. It’s borderline stomach-turning now.
5. Kevin Durant in Brooklyn: Suns at Nets — Jan. 31 (ESPN)
   Durant only played eight regular season games for the Suns after the trade last year and none of them were in Brooklyn. Durant’s time with the Nets was muddled. He performed at an MVP level when he played, but they never made it past the second round and he eventually tried to get his coach and GM fired before he forced his way out.
6. Marcus Smart in Boston: Grizzlies at Celtics — Feb. 4 (ESPN)
   Smart will receive a massive ovation when he returns to face the Celtics as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. With Derrick White arguably supplanting him as the better player, Smart became expendable. Kristaps Porzingis is in Boston as a result.
7. Bradley Beal in Washington: Suns at Wizards — Feb. 4 (NBA TV)
   It’s only fitting that on the same night Smart returns to Boston, Beal’s return to face the Wizards will get the stepchild NBA TV treatment, where Wizards playoff games were stuck for years in the Wall-Beal era.
8. Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn: Mavericks at Nets — Feb. 6 (TNT)
   Like Durant, Irving will also be making his first trip back to Brooklyn as Dallas didn’t play the Nets following last year’s trade. This is the one I’m looking forward to the most. Irving absolutely torpedoed the Nets over multiple seasons. I would assume a massive round of boos are in order.
9. Fred VanVleet in Toronto: Rockets at Raptors — Feb. 9 (LP)
   VanVleet was an integral part of the Raptors’ first championship as a franchise. He got a huge deal with the Rockets and rightfully left as Toronto continues to toe the line of keeping its core intact and finally entering the rebuild phase.
10. Damian Lillard in Portland? Heat at Blazers — Feb. 27 (TNT)
    Well, look what we have here, the Miami Heat in Portland, for the Blazers’ lone nationally televised game of the season, almost directly AFTER the trade deadline. Might the league be anticipating a Damian Lillard deadline trade to Miami? It hasn’t happened yet, but keep the date circled on your calendar. Adam Silver certainly has done so.

Another day, another talking point regarding James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers. This time the All-Star guard is saying that he thinks his relationship with the team is beyond repair. After returning from China — where he publicly called 76ers president Daryl Morey a liar — for an event he’s hosting in Houston this weekend, Harden spoke briefly about his relationship with the Sixers and the amount of patience he has with the situation.

“I’ve been patient all summer,” Harden said via KHOU 11. “For me, it’s just focus on what I can control and getting ready for this season.”

When asked if he thinks his relationship with the Sixers is beyond repair, Harden responded “I think so.”

So basically, nothing has changed since Harden requested a trade demand in late June, or since he called out Morey earlier this week and how he would never play for a team of his. Harden, who opted into a $35.6 million player option with Philadelphia in late June, is seemingly upset at Morey and the 76ers for two reasons. Harden was likely expecting a lucrative long-term offer from Philly this summer after taking a pay cut last offseason to give the team more financial flexibility. When that offer never materialized, Harden requested a trade, but those talks have fizzled.

While Harden has the patience to call Philadelphia’s bluff of ending trade talks with the Clippers (his preferred trade destination) with the intention of bringing him into training camp, there are costly ramifications on the horizon.

If Harden follows through with holding out of training camp like what’s been reported, it could cost him his free agency next summer. Because Harden is in the final year of his contract, the CBA states that if he “withholds services” for more than 30 days and isn’t traded by the Sixers this season, then he won’t be allowed to become a free agent next summer until Philadelphia “expressly agrees otherwise.”

It’s a potentially risky standoff for both sides, and Harden is likely betting on the Sixers not invoking that clause as it wouldn’t land well with other players around the league. However, the Sixers also have an obligation to get the best deal possible for the their organization going forward, so dumping Harden at the first offer also isn’t ideal. It’s a tricky situation, and as we inch closer to training camp opening on Oct. 3 the tension will only rise as both sides try to figure out the best path forward.