James Harden May Get His Clippers Trade Request Fulfilled After All

The offseason has been a wild ride for 76ers fans after James Harden opted into his player option, only to request a trade shortly after. HoopsHype‘s Michael Scotto reported over the weekend that the LA Clippers are Harden’s preferred destination, however, many fans had a tough time envisioning a deal due to the Clippers’ lack of assets.

"“Harden knew the team he wanted to go to, the Clippers, and the only way to get there and get his money was to opt in because of their restrictions with the salary cap.”"

Although a potential deal would take some work, it looks like Harden’s California dream isn’t close to being over.

Sources close to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania indicate that the 76ers and Clippers “are expected to engage again in discussions” at some point during the offseason. With just over two months until the 2023-24 NBA season begins, it isn’t farfetched to assume that those discussions could happen sooner than later.

It isn’t too surprising that James Harden wants to join the Clippers. The 33-year-old veteran guard was born and raised in Los Angeles before attending high school in Lakewood. He’d also be reunited with former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate and good friend Russell Westbrook.

Acquiring Harden also makes sense from the Clippers’ perspective. A trio with him, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George would make them one of the Western Conference’s top threats.

Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 10.7 assists with 60.7% true shooting in 58 games with Philadelphia last season.

Having said that, a deal also needs to make sense for the 76ers. Joel Embiid is still in his prime, meaning Daryl Morey can’t afford an underwhelming return as he did in the Ben Simmons trade unless the 2023 NBA MVP plans on leaving, too.

Unfortunately, it’s hard imagining a return that Philly fans will love. Marcus Morris, Norman Powell, and Robert Covington are names that L.A. is trying to move, according to NBA insider Evan Sidery back in June.

With all due respect to the above trio, none of those names put the 76ers that much closer to an NBA Championship.

At the same time, there might not be a better offer available. All signs point to the Clippers being the only team actively chasing Harden and now that he’s made it clear they’re his preferred landing spot, L.A. general manager Michael Winger knows that he has Morey & Co. in a tough position.

At the end of the day, the 76ers might have to just bite the bullet and take the best deal that the Clippers are willing to offer. While losing Harden for pennies would suck, the last thing the organization needs is a disgruntled star showing up to training camp and souring the locker room chemistry.

Either way, it looks like the James Harden saga is far from over and it’ll be interesting to see what the final deal (assuming that there is one) looks like.

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