In the early hours of Tuesday morning, it was announced that the Philadelphia 76ers were trading away disgruntled guard James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for a combination of draft picks and role players from the Los Angeles bench. The trade to the Clippers marks the reunion of Harden and his former teammate Russell Westbrook, who also plays for the Clippers.
By Tuesday evening, Harden had already arrived in Los Angeles and shared a heartwarming moment with Westbrook, per Joey Linn of Sports Illustrated.
James Harden and Russell Westbrook reunited in LA pic.twitter.com/42onQFAqz1
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) November 1, 2023
James Harden and Russell Westbrook were first teammates with the Oklahoma City Thunder during the team's run of success in the early 2010's, before Harden was eventually traded to the Houston Rockets. Westbrook would ultimately join Harden in Houston for the 2019-20 season, which ended in a second-round defeat for the team in the NBA bubble.
Westbrook would then be traded to the Washington Wizards, while Harden was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets, essentially starting the rebuilding phase that the Rockets now find themselves in.
Now, however, Harden and Westbrook are teammates once again, albeit at drastically different places in their careers. Both Harden and Westbrook are 34 years old, profiling more as experienced veterans than the explosive scorers they once were. Still, the combination of their playmaking ability should certainly help bolster a Clippers roster that already features the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Los Angeles will next take the floor against their rival Los Angeles Lakers on November 1 from the Crypto.com Arena.
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