James Harden’s debut with the Los Angeles Clippers won’t take place on Wednesday night, but it’s reportedly coming soon.
Shams Charania of Sports & Stadium says Harden won’t play in Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, but he could make his debut as early as Monday in New York against the Knicks.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the 76ers traded Harden, P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev to the Clippers in exchange for Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nick Batum, K.J. Martin, via the Oklahoma City Thunder, received a 2026 first-round pick, an unprotected 2028 first-round pick, two second-round picks and a 2029 pick swap.
The move ends a months-long saga that began in June, when Harden demanded a trade due to dissatisfaction with the Sixers’ front office. Harden, who has a decade-long relationship with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, was angered by the team’s lack of urgency in offering him a new contract before the free agency period.
Frustrated by the Sixers’ seeming lack of interest and the limited open market, Harden picked up his $35.6 million player option and pushed for a trade to the Clippers. Morey spent months acquiring Harden, trying to extract as much value as possible from the 2018 NBA MVP, but found he had strong interest.
The Clippers are the only team to express a unanimous desire to sign Harden, who has now requested trades from three organizations in less than three years. Morey traded for Harden in Tuesday’s trade, and the deal amounted to getting what you paid for.
Harden will now join Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook to form an experienced, star-studded core with limited time to contend for a championship. It would be an interesting dynamic to have Harden and Westbrook together, having now teamed up three times individually, but this would be the first time they’ve done so on the decline of their careers.