James Harden Traded to Clippers in Blockbuster Deal

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After months of drama and holding out, James Harden has finally been traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Los Angeles Clippers. The trade goes as follows:

Los Angeles Clippers Receive:

James Harden
P.J. Tucker
Filip Petrusev

Philadelphia 76ers Receive:

Marcus Morris
Robert Covington
Nicholas Batum
KJ Martin
A 2028 unprotected first-round pick
First-round pick (via Thunder)
Two second-round picks (2024 & 2029)
A 2029 pick swap

Both the Clippers and Sixers can be seen as winners in this trade. For L.A., they acquired Harden without trading Terence Mann. Following the trade, they add to their stacked roster with a core of Harden, Russell Westbrook (who he teams with for the third time), Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George. If this team can stay healthy, they will be a serious contender in the Western Conference. For Philly, they got rid of James Harden. Harden made it clear he was not going to play for the team and did not want to be a part of a team if Daryl Morey was there. They move on from his $35.6 M contract in addition to P.J. Tucker’s $11.5 M contract.

Another win for the Sixers sees the combination of expiring contracts and draft picks. The 2028 first-round pick from the Clippers could be extremely valuable as the Clippers could be one of the bottom teams in the league by then. With the expiring contracts, the Sixers can clear everyone except Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey off the board ahead of the 2024-25 season, giving them a projected $65 M in cap space, allowing them to pursue another max player and supporting players around a potential big three.

The James Harden saga finally comes to an end after his initial trade request in late June, specifically to the Clippers. In the last few months, Harden called Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey a liar and said that he would not play for any team Morey is a part of. He would be absent for media day in early October and would miss most of training camp and all of the preseason. Harden would make one appearance for Philly, sitting on the bench for the Sixers during their game against Portland. Last season, Harden averaged 21.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and led the league with 10.7 APG with the Sixers. While Harden will not play in tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic, it’s likely he will debut for the Clippers on Wednesday against the Lakers or Monday, November 6th against the New York Knicks. Harden will return to Philly to play the Clippers on March 27th in a game that is sure to be one of the loudest games of the season.