Cleveland executives issued a formal statement of gratitude after the veteran guard successfully restricted his weekend legal troubles to a minor, easily ignorable weapons violation.
Cleveland Cavaliers executives issued a formal statement of gratitude Monday morning after guard James Harden successfully restricted his weekend arrest in Houston to a minor, easily ignorable misdemeanor gun violation.
Harden, who was released from a Harris County jail early Saturday after posting bond, has long spent his offseasons in the Houston area. Team officials noted that arriving at the start of the NBA calendar with only a low-level weapon charge represents tremendous growth for the franchise, avoiding the complex, multi-state legal headaches typically generated by a max-contract player with four months of unchaperoned free time.
We are incredibly proud of James for demonstrating the veteran leadership necessary to only get caught with an improperly stored firearm, rather than committing a felony that would complicate our luxury tax situation.
The arrest comes at a delicate moment for the franchise, which is currently pressuring the Cleveland City Council for a $350 million public subsidy to widen the premium luxury suites at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The front office assured fans and local lawmakers that while the organization takes off-court conduct seriously, it takes municipal bond issuances significantly more seriously. Management confirmed Harden's brief incarceration will not distract from their ongoing efforts to hold the city's tax base hostage.
At press time, the NBA league office announced it had opened a standard inquiry to ensure the handgun in question did not violate any exclusive branding agreements with the league's official defense contractor partners.