The Los Angeles Clippers are set to face Julius Randle and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. After months of anticipation and trade discussions, the Clippers agreed on a trade sending James Harden back home to Los Angeles. With Harden and P.J. Tucker on the NBA injury report working their way towards the roster, it begs the question: Is James Harden playing tonight vs. the Knicks?

James Harden injury status vs. Knicks

The Clippers posted a 44-38 record last season, with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both missing significant time due to injuries. With the move to acquire Harden, the Clippers essentially went all-in on winning now with their star duo in their fifth season together for Los Angeles.

As of Monday morning, the trade between the Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers is official. With that said, all signs indicate that James Harden will play against the Knicks in his Clippers debut. Harden is not listed on the NBA injury report. Here are the full details of the trade, initially reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski:

Clippers receive:

– James Harden
– PJ Tucker
– Filip Petrusev

76ers receive:

– Marcus Morris
– Nic Batum
– Robert Covington
– KJ Martin
– LAC’s 2026 1st round Pick (Protected, via OKC)
– LAC’s 2028 1st round pick (unprotected)
– 2024 2nd round pick (via LAC)
– 2029 2nd round pick (via LAC)

Thunder receive:

– LAC’s 2027 1st round Pick (swap)

The new Clippers guard and forward arrived in Los Angeles Tuesday afternoon and were in attendance for the team's 118-102 victory over the Orlando Magic. There were a lot of pregame greetings as Harden, Tucker, and Russell Westbrook — all former Houston Rockets teammates — were reunited.

Trade saga finally ends after wild preseason

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Harden had quite the preseason this year. To start, Harden elected to skip Sixers Media Day and reported to training camp a day late. As if that wasn't enough, Harden missed an additional week due to a personal matter and was not given the green light to participate in any game, preseason or any regular season, for Philly.

Instead, Harden was told to report to Philadelphia where he could work on getting his mind and body as close to ready as possible. Long story short, Harden did so, but something at the Sixers' home opener pushed trade talks over the edge.

This comes after the viral video coming from his Adidas China Tour where he repeatedly called Sixers president Daryl Morey a “liar” and followed that up by saying he'd never play for a team run by him ever again.

The Clippers play Monday night against the Knicks after having four days off to practice and integrate James Harden into what they want to do. PJ Tucker made his Clippers debut on Wednesday against the Lakers, and now it's Harden's turn.

During his introductory press conference with the Clippers, James Harden says he's fully committed to doing whatever he needs to making this partnership with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook work.

“Philly just changed my role, knowing I can give more, knowing I can do more, but if you want to be honest, being on a leash and me knowing in order for us to get where we want to get to, I was going to have to be playing my best offensively, whether it's facilitating and scoring the basketball and Joel as well,” James Harden told ClutchPoints. “And I never really had that opportunity. So, I think all that plays into where I am today, where whatever T-Lue and the coaching staff needs me to do. I've been prepared and been in both situations, whether me scoring 15, 16 points or scoring 30, as long as we win the game and everybody's feeling confident and good about themselves, that's all that really matters.”

In 58 games for the Sixers last year, Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 10.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on 44.1 percent shooting from the field and 38.5 percent from three.

Tucker played 75 games for the Sixers last season, averaging 2.0 points. 4.7 rebounds, and a steal per game on 42.7 percent shooting from the field and 39.3 percent from three.

As the Clippers prepare for their matchup against the Knicks, the question is answered: Is James Harden playing tonight? Yes, he is. He is not listed on the NBA injury report and is expected to play.