James Harden requested a trade from the 76ers in the summer and made it clear that he would not play for an organization run by Daryl Morey, and on Wednesday, he got his wish, and the Los Angeles native is going home.
The LA Clippers have acquired Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Filip Petrusev from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Marcus Morris, Nico Batum, Robert Covington, and K.J. Martin; as part of the trade, the Clippers dealt a first-round pick, two second-round picks, a pick swap, and cash considerations to the 76ers, while sending a pick swap and cash considerations to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Los Angeles is making a run for a title; they believe the 10-time All-Star can be the guy that can help lead them to the Promise Land, and Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank thinks they can have a lot of success with the core of Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook.
“James is one of the most prolific and efficient playmakers in the NBA,” Frank said. “With his size and vision, he possesses an extraordinary ability to create for himself and others. The Los Angeles area has produced so many elite players in recent years. With Kawhi, Paul, Russ, and James, we’re excited to bring four of them together, and eager to see what they can accomplish with the rest of our group.”
With the trade, the Clippers became Harden’s fourth team in three seasons.
Last season, the 34-year-old averaged 21.0 points and a league-leading 10.7 assists per game.
The 76ers get a decent amount of draft capital that they can use to get another star and four expiring contracts. Philly will reportedly have $50-60 million of cap space next summer.
In addition, the 76ers are more athletic and versatile, and they still can compete for a title. Also, it’s addition by subtraction. Harden wanted no part of Philly, and it’s best that they moved on from him.
Regarding the Clippers, we’ll see if Harden, Westbrook, George, and Leonard can co-exist, and if it works, the Clippers are legitimate title contenders. If not, it’s going to be another disappointment for the Clippers.
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