LOS ANGELES, CA — When Norman Powell was traded in early July, James Harden and the LA Clippers found themselves with a significant hole at the shooting guard position.
Losing an efficient 20-point-per-game three-level scorer and one of the league's best shooters isn't something that's easily replaceable, especially for a team with limited assets trying to compete for an NBA championship.
Powell was a crucial part of the Clippers' 50-win season, averaging over 24 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and 43 percent from three in the 45 games before the NBA All-Star break.
That's where Harden, for the second time this summer, helped the Clippers off the court in ways that could pay itself back multiple times over.
James Harden becoming the superstar the Clippers always needed
Since his arrival in Los Angeles, James Harden's commitment to the Clippers has been unwavering. When Paul George's contract situation was up in the air during the free-agency period of 2024, and losing him for nothing was a very real possibility that didn't move Harden one way or another.
Even before George's ultimate decision to leave, Harden made it clear he intended to stay in Los Angeles. The 11-time All-Star quickly agreed on a contract with the Clippers in free agency. This is where he wanted to be.
More specifically, this is where Harden envisions building his legacy, especially when it comes to contending for a championship.
George ended up walking but, in doing so, allowed the Clippers to add players like Derrick Jones Jr., Nicolas Batum, and Kris Dunn. That turned out to be the right decision, and George struggled with injuries as the 76ers missed the playoffs while the Clippers were able to add real depth and used the collective to make up for his departure.
This summer was no different.
James Harden opted out of the second year of his deal this summer and agreed to a two-year, $81.5 million deal to return to the LA Clippers shortly into free agency.
Harden went from making $35 million annually to just over $40 million annually with the new deal. It was a nice pay raise for the guard coming off a resurgent year following a couple of quiet seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets.
While Harden could've asked for more, the deal he took allowed the Clippers to utilize their full midlevel exception this summer, which was valued around $14.1 million.
And while it was unclear who would be available to the Clippers at the time of the agreement, Harden put his trust in the Clippers to continue building a championship-contending roster around himself, Kawhi Leonard, and Ivica Zubac.
The Clippers' need for size
In the 2025 postseason, the Clippers dropped Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets and were eliminated in the first round. The Clippers won the rebounding battle just once in those seven games, showing their clear lack of size, while the Nuggets repeatedly sent out punishing lineups featuring a frontcourt with Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr.
And so the first move of the team’s offseason was securing Brook Lopez in free agency. He surely wasn't the most athletic player available but a legitimate starter, rim protector, and shooter in the NBA that would now become a solid backup big man option behind Ivica Zubac.
As free agency neared, Lopez was widely expected to join the Los Angeles Lakers, with a potential Milwaukee Bucks return still on the table. He was a hopeful option for the Clippers, although they were not reported to be his first option.
It was then that uncertainty surrounding the Lakers grew following the comments made by LeBron James’ agent Rich Paul about the superstar's future, league sources told ClutchPoints.
The center potentially returning to the Bucks was a scenario that also vanished since Damian Lillard's future was uncertain due to a torn Achilles and a roster that wouldn't be a surefire contender in the Eastern Conference.
Brook Lopez, who turned 37 years of age in April, could still play at a high level and was looking to join a contending team for one final run at an NBA championship. In the opening hours of free agency, Lopez and the Clippers agreed to terms on a two-year, $18 million deal, the first big home run of the offseason for the franchise.
About a week after the agreement that would leave them with approximately $5.3 million remaining from the midlevel exception, the Clippers finalized a trade that would send Norman Powell to the Miami Heat and bring in John Collins from the Utah Jazz.
Collins is coming off the second-best season of his NBA career, statistically speaking, averaging 19 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.0 block per game while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 40 percent from three.
He simply played for the Jazz, who have made it very clear by the last couple of February trade deadlines that they would be tanking the rest of the season.
With this move, the Clippers were able to land both an athletic player and a big man, one they've been linked to several times over the last few years.
Landing an athletic starting big man was yet another home run for the Clippers but presented them with another problem. The cost for John Collins was their starting shooting guard, who carried the bulk of the scoring load in ways no one else on the team could throughout the regular season.
That's when James Harden, who had been good friends with Bradley Beal throughout their careers, jumped into action.
James Harden: The recruiter
Rumors within league circles surfaced that Beal and the Phoenix Suns were going to negotiate a buyout agreement in the hopes of finding Beal a new home. Armed with a no-trade clause, Beal and the Suns were simply unable to find any team that made sense as a trade partner to take on the remaining two years and $110 million left on his deal.
But a buyout was not a lock to happen.
If a free-agency situation that made perfect sense for Beal did not present itself, the three-time NBA All-Star was content to stay in Phoenix and work things out there while getting paid handsomely.
The Suns allowed Bradley Beal and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, to canvass the league and examine what the market for Beal was prior to the start of free agency.
Before completing the Norman Powell trade, the Clippers didn't need a guy like Beal, so the interest levels weren't very high on either side. And coming off of Powell's career season, Harden was expecting to continue building on their first year together as a starting backcourt.
Shortly after the trade, however, the Clippers star called President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank and inquired about what the team's plans were. The message he relayed was simple:
If Bradley Beal is going to get bought out, the Clippers absolutely needed to land him.
The problem was that the Clippers really only had about $5.3 million of their $14 million midlevel exception remaining. Despite getting paid $19 million over the next five years via the potential buyout, Beal, a max player in the NBA previously earning over $50 million a season, would need to take a significant pay cut in order to join the Clippers.
One source familiar with the situation called Harden “motivated and quick,” to pursue Beal after Norman Powell was traded.
Harden and Beal had spoken several times following the Powell-Collins trade with Harden championing the Clippers as the perfect fit for him and them for him. But another member involved in the situation also wanted to speak with James Harden: Beal's agent, Mark Bartelstein.
It's not common for a player's agent to request to speak with a player on a different team that they don't represent. But after seeking permission, Harden's agent authorized a call between the Clippers star and Beal's agent.
The two sides spent over 30 minutes on the phone, with a source familiar with the nature of the call saying Harden singing the praises of the Clippers front office's creativity and commitment to winning, lauded Tyronn Lue as the perfect player's coach, praised defensive coach Jeff Van Gundy, commended the player development staff, and explained how James himself will have a real influence on Beal as a setup man.
And the proof is in the pudding.
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid had the best season of his career and won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award playing alongside Harden in the 2022-23 season. George had by far the most efficient shooting season of his career playing alongside Harden on the Clippers in the 2023-24 season.
Even Powell and Zubac both put in the work themselves and were ready for the opportunities when they were presented, but both also credited Harden as the floor general who often prioritized getting them going before worrying about himself.
“There’s a direct correlation, and you connect the dots that James is a playmaker and his willingness to sacrifice his own scoring in order to get great shots for his teammates,” Lawrence Frank said of James Harden this summer. “All James cares about is winning. That's it, and he's willing to sacrifice parts of his game, how he structured his contract, he does it in every which way. It's awesome to see.
“It's awesome to see his thirst, to get better, to try to win a championship, to try to do something for the LA Clippers that's never been done before. And he's been totally invested, and it's great to have players who put so much into it, not just with the work they put into the game, but the work that they try to do to attract other top talent to the organization.”
Bartelstein left the call with Harden reassured and feeling great, sources said, about the Clippers being the right team for his client, Bradley Beal.
Lawrence Frank also said that, in addition to Harden, Bartelstein spoke with Steve Ballmer, Tyronn Lue, President of Performance, Health, and Wellness, Maggie Bryant, and Senior Performance Physical Therapist Jesse Phillips, who was the Director of Athletic Performance and Rehabilitation with the Wizards while Beal was in Washington.
In his 13 years in the NBA, Beal has been fortunate to earn a life-changing amount of money, but has not had much to look forward to as far as NBA championship contention. In conversations with members of the Clippers organization, league sources said Beal expressed excitement at, for the first time in his career, joining an organization that already has real structure in place where winning and cohesiveness — from ownership down to the staffers — are the priorities.
Beal agreed and signed a two-year, $10.6 million deal with the LA Clippers after clearing waivers, with a player option for the 2026-27 season. Both sides are hopeful that a long-term partnership is in the future, but a lot of that will depend on how the season goes for Beal and the team.
The Clippers wrapped up their offseason with the signing of Chris Paul, giving them four new additions this offseason and 11 versatile, starting-caliber players entering training camp this September.
And while this type of offseason is a collective effort that could not have been done without the creativity of Lawrence Frank, Trent Redden, and the front office or the caring and enthusiastic nature of owner Steve Ballmer, it also could not have been done without an accomplished superstar of Harden's caliber putting himself out there and championing the Clippers as a real destination.
Just as James Harden needed the Clippers a few years ago following the rough closing to his Nets and Sixers stints, it turns out Harden was the superstar the Clippers needed as well.
