James Harden's resume speaks for itself. A 10-time All-Star, member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team and the 2017-18 Most Valuable Player, Harden will go down as one of the greatest players of his generation. Amid a constant string of trade requests and the unwillingness to commit to one franchise, Harden's image has taken a massive hit from the perspective of NBA fans around the world. This is especially true following his most recent trade to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Late Monday evening on the West Coast, early Tuesday morning if you are on the East Coast, the Clippers were able to agree to a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers involving seven players are a variety of draft picks. Marcus Morris Sr., Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, and Kenyon Martin Jr. all find themselves heading to the City of Brotherly love, as Harden, PJ Tucker, and Filip Petrusev make their way to Los Angeles. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report the news of the trade.
What's unique about this trade is that it was completed before it was even completed. Harden going to the Clippers was the first domino to fall in trade talks, as figuring out the details of how this deal was going to happen is what Philadelphia and Los Angeles pondered over on Monday night.
Sixers executive Daryl Morey, who Harden grew to despise over the last several months as a result of alleged lies on a new contract for the All-Star, had remained adamant on wanting championship-level value from the Clippers in any potential trade for Harden.
Terance Mann was viewed as a valuable asset from the Sixers' perspective, yet the Clippers never showed any willingness to give up the former first-round pick. Mann was never involved in any proposals from Los Angeles and the team made it clear to Morey that he was not going to be traded, league sources close to the situation told ClutchPoints. This left the Clippers with very few options, especially since their draft capital had been left thin from various trades through the years.
From Los Angeles' point of view, there was no rush to get a deal done. Beginning the 2023-24 season with a 2-1 record, the Clippers rank amongst the best of the league in multiple offensive categories. The idea of building with what they had and focusing solely on their team was the Clippers' only mindset.
That lasted all of a week, as the Sixers had been in contact with the Clippers in the days leading up to this trade. Philadelphia had grown tired of Harden's antics in recent weeks, league sources said, with the star's “return” to the team before the start of the regular season causing unrepairable tension.
Timeline of James Harden's preseason with Sixers
Initially thought to be sitting out of training camp at the start of October, James Harden arrived at Sixers' camp in Colorado on October 4. Everything seemed to go well between Harden and his teammates, as head coach Nick Nurse claimed the entire team was locked in and focused on bettering themselves. There were no issues on the court and there were even a few smiles coming from the All-Star guard in his first day back.
However, he held no communication with any member of the Sixers' front office, including Morey. In fact, league sources told ClutchPoints that Harden did his best to maneuver around the Sixers' executive in order to avoid confrontation. While he was a participant in practices, Harden did not play in any preseason games and then he again reiterated his request to leave the Sixers.
“This is not even about this situation. This is in life, when you lose trust in someone,” Harden told reporters on Oct. 13 at the team's facility in Camden, New Jersey. “It’s like a marriage. You lose trust in someone, you know what I mean? It’s pretty simple.”
Of course, Harden was referring to Morey and their line of trust being broken beyond repair. Not long after Harden made these comments to reporters, he was a no-show at practice, missing close to two weeks and being away from the team due to personal reasons. Even with the Sixers being made aware of the situation and granting Harden permission to step away from the team, there was no real scenario in which he could return to the team without causing any issues.
James Harden denied access to Sixers road trip
When James Harden did ultimately come back from his hiatus before the start of the season, he was prepared to travel with his teammates to Milwaukee for their first game of the season. Although ruled out for this game, Harden wanted to support the team on the bench when they took on the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Sixers had other ideas – Morey and other front office officials making it very clear that the All-Star was not going to be traveling with the team. This led to a confrontation when Harden was denied access to the team plane. Morey was not present for this, but general manager Elton Brand and others made sure Harden did not board the plane and was not with the team for their road trip to begin the 2023-24 season.
The main reason the Sixers did not want Harden traveling with them, based on what the team has said, was so he could work on his conditioning and be ready for a potential return to the court when the team returned to Philadelphia following their two-game road trip. According to league sources close to the matter, Harden did show up for his workout sessions at the team's facility.
The problem was that instead of working on what Nurse and the staff wanted him to do, Harden conducted his own workouts with his own agenda, sources said. While he was willing to play in actual games, the Sixers grew concerned that the team's chemistry would suffer greatly, especially if the guard was unwilling to complete simple tasks assigned to him regarding conditioning and training while the team began the season.
Philadelphia played their home opener on Sunday night, a game that the 76ers won 126-98 over the Portland Trail Blazers. Seen joking around with PJ Tucker, Joel Embiid, and others, as well as speaking with the staff members on the bench, no problems were visible between Harden and the organization.
The problems that existed involved Harden and everyone else within the organization. Harden only spoke with those in the team's locker room and did not give any time to members of the front office, mainly those close with Morey, sources said. No issues existed between Harden and his teammates, but Morey and owner Josh Harris quickly grew uncomfortable with the idea of Harden attempting to pull strings behind the scenes.
Finding success to begin the year and viewing Tyrese Maxey as a clear All-Star-like replacement for Harden's No. 2 spot alongside Embiid, the Sixers quickly reached back out to the Clippers following Sunday's game in order to try and push forward on a trade.
Sixers, Clippers, Thunder finalize the trade
Progress was made late Sunday evening, sources said, and Philadelphia made it clear that they were willing to accept a trade that did not include Terance Mann as long as PJ Tucker could be included in the trade, one of James Harden's long-time teammates and close friends.
The 76ers did not want to have to deal with any more drama stemming from a possible Harden trade, which is why they had been looking to package Tucker in any scenario involving Harden, sources told ClutchPoints. The notion to get a trade done as soon as possible came from the Sixers' side of things, as bringing Harden back was no longer a possibility.
Still, the 76ers were wanting two first-round picks in addition to a pick swap and secondary talents who could immediately fill voids on the roster around Maxey and Embiid. The Oklahoma City Thunder had been one of the teams remaining in contact with the Clippers over the last month, league sources said, with executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti willing to give Los Angeles the first-round pick they needed to make this deal happen.
League sources told ClutchPoints on Monday evening that the Thunder were the third “mystery” team being involved in the Clippers-Sixers trade for Harden and this was confirmed on Tuesday morning by Wojnarowski when the Thunder acquired a 2027 first-round pick swap from Los Angeles in exchange for a protected 2026 first-round pick, which goes to Philadelphia. This 2026 first-round pick, which is the Clippers' original selection, is protected and the Thunder will ultimately give the least favorable of their three first-round picks in 2026 to the 76ers, sources confirmed to ClutchPoints.
Gaining a valuable, future pick swap, the Thunder have once again put themselves in a position to grow. This 2027 selection from the Clippers will come at a time when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey, and others on this roster will be reaching the prime of their careers. Oklahoma City will then have the chance to potentially add another lottery pick or upgrade their roster, one that they believe can eventually contend for a championship.
Although the Clippers did not have much of a desire to trade veteran forward Nicolas Batum, he was the final piece of the puzzle to make this trade happen from a financial perspective. Batum, who is widely expected to retire from the NBA following the 2023-24 season, was a beloved member of the Clippers. His teammates always praised his leadership and the Frenchman was thrilled to be a part of the organization. With the Sixers preferring Batum's expiring contract over Norman Powell's long-term deal, he ended up being the odd man out in this trade scenario.
Where the Sixers go from here
James Harden is now gone, and a dark cloud has now been lifted from the 76ers. Philadelphia can finally move forward without all the questions surrounding them being centered on Harden and they can focus on the larger goal at hand: winning a championship. As long as Embiid is healthy, the Sixers believe that they can win the Eastern Conference. Their new added depth backs up this notion and the 76ers have plenty options on how they can continue constructing their roster.
Philly owns upwards of $100 million in expiring contracts upon completion of this trade involving Harden. They will not only be able to ink Maxey to a new long-term extension at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, but they will also be able to remain aggressive on the trade market, possibly dangling their added draft compensation and expiring contracts as incentive to teams looking to start over and enter the offseason with cap flexibility.
The big question pertaining to the 76ers now pertains to Embiid and his immediate future. The 29-year-old MVP wants to win and do so at the highest level possible. It is obvious that the Sixers and Morey do not want Embiid to leave or request a trade from the organization, which is why the next couple of steps following the Harden trade are essential to this franchise's immediate future.
As of right now, there is nothing suggesting that another blockbuster trade is on the horizon. With that said, rival organizations and front offices are looking at two Eastern Conference teams in particular as organizations who could dictate the flow of the trade deadline in February.
The Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors both missed the playoffs a season ago and have stumbled out of the gates to begin the 2023-24 season. Multiple outlets reported on the Bulls holding a player-only meeting following their first game of the new campaign and the Raptors have struggled at 1-3, recently losing at home to the Trail Blazers and giving Portland their first victory of the year.
In reference to the Bulls, the sense around the league is that All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine is the most likely of Chicago's three All-Stars (DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Zach LaVine), to be on the move ahead of the trade deadline, that is if the team decides to blow things up. LaVine signed a five-year, $215 million contract with the Bulls in 2022, but has been frustrated with the organization's lack of success and unwillingness to adapt with the rest of the league. The Sixers showed interest in LaVine several months ago and could again revisit conversations with Chicago regarding the star.
For the Raptors, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby remain their organization's two biggest trade assets. Siakam did not agree to a contract extension during the offseason and is trending towards becoming an unrestructured free agent in 2024. The same can be said for Anunoby, who owns a $19.9 million player option for the 2024-25 season that he will likely opt out of to hit the open market. Toronto will find it hard to retain both players on new, long-term deals while also having Scottie Barnes becoming eligible for an extension off of his current rookie contract next offseason.
Various teams were in contact with the Raptors last season involving a potential trade for Anunoby and Siakam drew trade interest from the Atlanta Hawks over the summer. The Hawks reportedly offered AJ Griffin, De'Andre Hunter, and draft compensation for the All-Star, a deal that was declined by Toronto. It is unknown what the Raptors would want in a potential trade for Siakam, but his relationship with Nick Nurse could result in interest from the Sixers. That is, if the Raptors make Siakam available in trade conversations ahead of the deadline in February.
Should the 76ers hold off on adding a big name ahead of the trade deadline, they will enter the offseason having the ability to be big spenders. The option of being a team to facilitate other trades and take on unwanted contracts in exchange for draft compensation can also give the Sixers the bonus assets they need to then make another big trade down the road. Harden's trade opens the door for Philadelphia to have options and short-term flexibility, two things they did not have previously.
James Harden's championship journey in Los Angeles begins
With James Harden's arrival, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has made it crystal clear that he does not care about buying a championship. The only thing that matters in Los Angeles and to this franchise is winning, which is why they decided to go all-in by acquiring Harden.
While the draft compensation is a steep price to pay for a player that has a history of giving up on his organization, this is truly a win-win situation for the Clippers.
Should things work out and this team is able to make it to the NBA Finals and/or win a championship, Ballmer and the Clippers will enter the offseason having the ability to re-sign Harden. Leonard and George also own player options for the 2024-25 season, meaning they can opt out to potentially help the organization with any financial hardships.
On the flip side of things, if the Clippers fail to make a deep postseason run and Harden was not the answer they were hoping for, Los Angeles can evaluate potential sign-and-trade scenarios in the offseason or simply let Harden walk, freeing up a chunk of cap space and saving this organization a lot of money in taxes.
This is not the scenario the Clippers are hoping for, though, as they fully expect to be able to finish with the best record in the NBA, win the Western Conference, and go on to capture their first title in team history. Harden has been the focus of the NBA world for months and finally, a clear picture has been painted for what the 2023-24 season will look like for him.
Moving forward, his future is still very much unclear, as joining the Clippers in the final year of his contract may be James Harden's last chance to prove he is not the problem.
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