Two of the best players in the NBA, James Harden and Damian Lillard, have requested trades this summer. Harden wants the Philadelphia 76ers to trade him to the Los Angeles Clippers, while Lillard has demanded that the Portland Trail Blazers send him to the Miami Heat.
Harden recently did an interview with USA TODAY Sports, and while he didn’t talk about his own trade request, he was asked to share his thoughts about Lillard’s.
The Blazers don’t have to trade Lillard to the Heat since Lillard doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract. However, Lillard’s agent has been telling non-Miami teams to not trade for his client. The expectation around Lillard is that his insistence on playing for the Heat will discourage other NBA teams from offering their best assets to try to acquire him from the Blazers.
As for Harden, he has removed everything related to the Sixers from his social media pages. The 2017-18 NBA MVP “still intends” to play for the Clippers next season, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: James Harden, Damian Lillard, Philadelphia 76ers & Portland Trail Blazers Updates
Harden’s relationship with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is “fractured.” Morey and Harden used to be very close since they worked together on the Houston Rockets and were reunited in Philadelphia after Morey traded for Harden from the Brooklyn Nets.
However, Harden is extremely upset at the way in which Morey handled his possible free agency and has made his dissatisfaction clear by requesting a trade.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: James Harden, Damian Lillard, Philadelphia 76ers & Portland Trail Blazers Updates
It’s going to be fascinating to see who gets traded first between Harden and Lillard. This is the first time in his career that Lillard has requested a trade, while Harden requested trades from the Rockets and Nets and got his wish both times.
Lillard averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists last season for the Blazers, while Harden put up 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game for the Sixers.
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