James Harden’s time in Philadelphia is officially over when he was ultimately moved to the Los Angeles Clippers, closing a tumultuous chapter in the team’s past.
The shocking divorce that now includes Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and Harden was first reported by ESPN’s NBA Insider’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
James Harden, PJ Tucker, and Filip Petrusev travel to LA in exchange for Marcus Morris, Nic Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, and a bag of picks, which the Sixers receive in return.
Wojnarowski reports that among the picks sent by the Clippers are an unprotected 2028 first-round pick, two second-round picks and a trade of picks and a future first-round pick from a third team.
In the trade, the Sixers will waive veteran guard Danny Green and open up the roster to complete the deal.
Speaking on ESPN’s NBA Countdown, Wojnarowski said the Clippers made their
best offer
and knew they were the only horse in the race.
I’ve been told that since the season is starting now, at least for the foreseeable future, the Clippers are going to drop these James Harden trade talks — they’re basically going to put them on hold,
Wojnarowski said.
They made their best offer for Harden and now they will start their season and see what this team looks like with a healthy Kawhi Leonard and a healthy Paul George.
I think the Sixers have to wonder, ‘Have we already gotten the best offer we’re gonna get for James Harden?’ Especially when games start falling off the calendar. And if you’re the Clippers, why offer more when James Harden can play less and less for you?
Harden only joined the 76ers in February 2022 when the Nets made a monster move and one of the players, Aussie Ben Simmons, went the other way.
In August, Harden unleashed a flamethrower and unleashed a scream that could be attributed to 76ers boss Daryl Morey.
I’ll say it again: Daryl Morey is a liar, and I will never be a part of any organization he belongs to,
he said.
Morey was Harden’s boss in the NBA for a total of 10 years, during which time he was traded twice to the Houston Rockets and now to the Sixers. Harden is a 10-time NBA All-Star, three-time leading scorer and 2018 MVP.
The LA Clippers acquired 10-time All-Star point guard James Harden in Monday night’s trade with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The 76ers sent Harden, P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev go to the Clippers for Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nic Batum and KJ Martin, an unprotected 2028 first-round pick, two second-round picks, a 2029 pick trade and an additional first-round pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder, sources told ESPN.
According to sources, the Clippers will send a 2027 first-round pick to Oklahoma City, opening the possibility for the Thunder to trade a 2026 first-round pick to the 76ers. The Clippers will also send a 2024 and 2029 second-round pick to the Sixers, according to sources.
The Clippers partnered Harden with All-Star forwards Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and guard Russell Westbrook, who played with Harden on the Thunder and Houston Rockets. The Clippers and Sixers have been discussing a trade for Harden since July, and they finally reached an agreement late Monday night.
The Clippers and 76ers resumed trade negotiations over the weekend when Harden’s reunion with the Sixers grew increasingly tenuous; lineup, sources said.
The Sixers wanted two first-round picks in the Harden trade because they believed those assets combined with a second-round pick and a trade would allow them to pursue another high-profile point guard in the trade partnered with this season’s MVP Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
Harden is “ecstatic;” he went to the Clippers and hoped to fly to Los Angeles as soon as possible, sources close to him told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
He will be available for Tuesday night and the Clippers’ home game against the Orlando Magic. Harden, 34, requested a trade from Philadelphia in June when he picked up his $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season.
He called 76ers director of basketball operations Daryl Morey during a promotional appearance in China in August multiple times, and Harden admitted when he rejoined the team this month that their relationship was beyond repair.
Harden has yet to play in Philadelphia this season, though he was on the bench with his teammates during Sunday’s game, wearing jeans and a green hoodie after participating in the 76ersand#039; game demo and video session.
He called 76ers director of basketball operations Daryl Morey during a promotional appearance in China in August multiple times, and Harden admitted when he rejoined the team this month that their relationship was beyond repair.
Harden has yet to play in Philadelphia this season, though he was on the bench with his teammates during Sunday’s game, wearing jeans and a green hoodie after participating in the 76ersand#039; game demo and video session.
Harden, who grew up in Southern California and played at Artesia High School in Lakewood, expressed his desire to play against the Clippers.
The guard is the last player from Southern California to play at home for the Clippers. Leonard, who is from Moreno Valley and played at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, and George, who grew up in Palmdale and played at Knight High School, decided to join the Clippers in the summer of 2019.
The Clippers signed Leonard as a free agent and traded four future unprotected first-round picks, one protected first-round pick and two trades of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari for George.
The Clippers also signed Westbrook, who played at Leuzinger High School in Lawndale before playing at UCLA, as a free agent during the All-Star break when the guard was bought out of his contract with Utah in a Lakers trade.
Harden has been one of the number of best players in the league over the last decade, winning three seasons and winning the 2018 league MVP award. In Harden, Westbrook and George, the Clippers now have three of the top six active players who have never done it.
With these three surrounding two-time NBA Finals MVP Leonard, the Clippers hope to win the first NBA championship in franchise history.
The Clippers (2-1) opened Tuesday against the Magic in Los Angeles and face the Lakers on Wednesday.
The Clippers will have four days off after Coach Tyronn Lue reunites Harden with Tucker before a three-game homestand against the Knicks in New York on Monday. The trip allowed Harden to play with his former Nets team in Brooklyn on Wednesday before the Clippers end their stretch at Dallas next Friday.
The Philadelphia 76ers traded disgruntled star James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers in a package that includes draft picks and role players off the Clips bench, it was announced Monday night.
The move marked the third time in recent memory that Harden essentially talked his way into a trade, and the Sixers were the latest organization to learn how quickly things can go wrong when the future Hall of Famer is unhappy.
NBA insider Chris Broussard, who discussed Harden’s criticism on FS1’s First Things First and used a derogatory phrase to cast doubt on Harden’s IQ, wasn’t a fan of the player’s recent antics.
