A lot has been said about trade talks surrounding James Harden, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Clippers. After initially opting into his contract for the 2023-24 season in order to work on a potential trade with the Sixers, Harden remains on Philadelphia's roster nearly three weeks later with zero progress made.
The Sixers do not need to trade Harden, nor would they like to.
However, things can begin to spiral for a franchise when a star player requests a trade, and cracks are beginning to show for Philadelphia. According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the relationship between team president Daryl Morey and Harden “essentially fractured” and is not what it once was when the former league MVP first joined the organization.
Harden wants to be dealt to the Clippers, who pushed to get a deal done before the start of free agency, league sources told ClutchPoints. However, the Sixers have made it known they're going to take time in this process and do everything they can to mend this relationship.
As far as what they are looking for in a potential trade, the price they are listing Harden for is ridiculously high, according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. In the event they part ways with Harden, the Sixers want to remain contenders in the Eastern Conference, which is why getting back high-level value to pair with reigning league MVP Joel Embiid right away is truly the only way for a team to strike a deal.
“Look, James is a Hall of Famer, one of the best players offensively to ever do it,” Morey stated on Tuesday during a radio appearance. “So, for us, it’s pretty different [than the Ben Simmons situation]. All I know is that we either are gonna move him for a player that helps us win now, we're gonna get assets that allow us to go get a good player in the short term or we're gonna continue to wait and continue to look for other players like a [Tyrese] Maxey and a Joel [Embiid] to take a step forward in that situation.”
Morey is in no rush to get a deal done. As he said, they are going to do everything they can to maximize Harden's value, because he is still one of the better point guards in the entire NBA. For the Clippers, trading for Harden will be extremely tough to do given this price tag, as they do not necessarily have the flexibility and value other teams have at this point in the offseason. Similar to how Damian Lillard trade talks are at a stalemate, no progress has been made regarding Harden's future.
While it may look unlikely right now, there are scenarios LA can play around with if it truly wants to pursue the 10-time All-Star this offseason. Starting with the talent on their roster, the Clippers have movable contracts that can match Harden's $35.6 million contract.
Breaking down the Clippers' roster
The Clippers are not going to be trading Paul George or Kawhi Leonard if they are to go after James Harden. Owner Steve Ballmer and the entire Clippers organization would view this potential move as a “last chance” type of transaction in order to maximize their chances of winning a title before making massive decisions regarding their two All-Stars in George and Leonard.
Both of Los Angeles' stars can opt out of their contracts following the 2023-24 season. With Harden having one more year left on his contract, it makes sense that the Clippers would have interest in acquiring the All-Star guard from the Sixers. With George and Leonard making close to $91 million this season, the Clippers have their hands full financially.
That does not necessarily mean though that they can't find other ways to match Harden's contract.
Norman Powell ($18 million), Marcus Morris Sr. ($17.1 million), Nicolas Batum ($11.7 million) and Robert Covington ($11.6 million) are all on movable deals, as Powell is the only player under contract past the upcoming season. Taking on the remaining three years and $57 million on Powell's contract would not be too favorable for any team, yet he was viewed as a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year most of this past season.
When looking at the rest of this team's roster, Terrance Mann, Bones Hyland and rookie Kobe Brown stand out as their best young assets. The Clippers have been unwilling to include Mann in trade talks through the years, a stance that has not changed this offseason, sources said. While including him in a potential trade makes their outgoing package more lucrative, Los Angeles may be able to get away with keeping Mann if it means the Sixers get other assets that they could flip into immediate value.
Clippers' available draft capital
Due to trading for Paul George in 2019, the Clippers do not have access to their first-round picks in 2024, 2025 or 2026. This makes things a little difficult in terms of negotiating a trade for Harden or anyone else for that matter. If Los Angeles really wants to make this deal happen, though, the front office can leverage their long-term future.
In terms of first-round picks available, the Clippers do have their own picks in 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030. They are unable to trade their first-round pick in 2027 outright due to their obligation in the George trade regarding their 2026 pick. This leaves first-round picks in 2028 and 2030 being eligible in a trade with Philadelphia, as well as a swap in 2029.
It is worth mentioning as well that Los Angeles has three, possibly four, second-round picks that they can include for value in any trade they'd like to make. Normally second-round picks do not hold much value, but we have seen quite a few teams stockpile them this offseason in order to make a bigger trade down the line. This could be an interesting scenario for the Sixers to explore, especially if they were to turn around assets they receive for Harden in order to land a different high-level talent.
With most of their draft capital tied up at the moment, the Clippers' only real way to pursue Harden is to give into what Philadelphia would want from their roster. Should the Sixers demand certain players and draft picks, this would leave Los Angeles with a big decision to make, but it would at least put the ball in their court.
What the Clippers' best offer may look like
The easiest way for the Clippers to make a deal with the Sixers is by trading away Norman Powell, Marcus Morris Sr. and Bones Hyland, along with some draft compensation. These three players will make a combined $37.4 million during the 2023-24 season. From the Sixers' point of view, they would have the ability to flip any of these assets in further trade talks around the league.
However, nothing about this deal is really appealing to Philadelphia, as it wouldn't make sense for them to take on Morris' contract unless they had another trade lined up including him or Tobias Harris, who is on an expiring $39.2 million contract. The same can be said with Bones Hyland, as while he is a younger guard, Philadelphia really wouldn't have a need for him with De'Anthony Melton, Tyrese Maxey and Jaden Springer already in the backcourt.
If Morris and Hyland were to be taken out the deal, the Clippers could instead send either Nic Batum or Robert Covington to Philly, along with a player like Amir Coffey and/or rookie Kobe Brown. This is a scenario that would have to happen in August, though, as Brown recently signed his rookie contract with Los Angeles.
Again, the same problem presents itself with the Sixers asking where exactly they are getting value in this trade.
Powell is a good secondary piece who could help them contend in the East, but the Clippers don't have the available talent Morey and the Sixers are asking for. Even if the Clippers were to include Terrance Mann in a potential trade, that too may not move the needle much. Trading Harden and replacing him with another All-Star seems like the most likely scenario that will play out for Philadelphia. When this could happen is a major mystery and who that third team would be is also up in the air.
Zach LaVine may become available at the trade deadline depending on how the Chicago Bulls are doing, while Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors continues to be a name coming up in trade discussions around the league. The addition of a player like LaVine or Siakam may be enough for the Sixers to part ways with Harden and give into his request by trading him to the Clippers.
Two games are being played right now, as the Sixers are playing the game “telephone” with the rest of the league while also playing “tug-of-war” with Los Angeles.
Harden wants to go to the Clippers. The Sixers do not want to trade Harden unless they receive a ton of value in return. The Clippers are interested in trading for Harden, but they just simply do not have the assets Philadelphia wants. This is where things stand right now and there really does not seem to be a solution on the horizon.
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