James Harden still wants the Philadelphia 76ers to trade him to the Los Angeles Clippers, so one NBA writer has come up with a way for that to happen. Eddie Bitar of Fadeaway World proposed the following trade idea between the Sixers, Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers:
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Jrue Holiday
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: James Harden
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Norman Powell, Terance Mann, Bones Hyland
Harden requested a trade from the Sixers to the Clippers in June. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George want the Clippers to acquire Harden, according to NBA insider Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Harden has spoken to Leonard and George since requesting a trade from Philadelphia.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
A 10-time NBA All-Star, Harden was born and raised in Los Angeles. He has a rapport with Leonard and George and is close friends with Clippers point guard Russell Westbrook. Harden and Westbrook were teammates on the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets.
The Sixers agreed to search out a trade upon Harden’s request after Harden picked up his $35.6 million player option for next season in June. However, Philadelphia’s asking price for Harden was steep and no teams were willing or able to meet it.
The Sixers believe they will be a title contender in 2023-24 with Harden’s return alongside Joel Embiid and the team is determined to find a way to make it work with Harden. However, according to NBA insider Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Harden will never play for the Sixers again and has no plans of taking part in training camp if he’s still on the team.
In 58 games for the Sixers last season, Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists. He led the NBA in assists per game for the second time in his career.
Harden was fined $100,000 by the NBA for calling Daryl Morey “a liar” during his Adidas tour in China. Harden no longer has a relationship with Morey. The 2017-18 MVP called the exec a liar since he wasn’t traded quickly after opting into his 2023-24 player option.
The Clippers and Sixers discussed the framework of a Harden trade, but the two sides never got close to a deal, according to NBA insider Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia. It will be fascinating to see if Philadelphia and Los Angeles talk about a Harden trade again before training camp starts.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
If the Clippers acquire Harden, they could start Harden, Westbrook, George, Leonard and Ivica Zubac.
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