The Los Angeles Clippers have made it clear that the team is interested in James Harden.
It is something of an open secret at this point that the front office even solicited Kawhi Leonard and Paul George’s opinions on whether they should pursue the former league MVP.
Unfortunately, in light of the Philadelphia 76ers’ asking price for their disgruntled star, it appears all parties involved couldn’t come to an agreement.
Last week, during an episode of The Hoops Collective, Brian Windhorst revealed that the Clippers had pulled out of trade talks for Harden.
“[The Clippers] tried to trade for James Harden, and that deal didn’t happen,” Windhorst said.
“And from what I understand, it was the Clippers who said, ‘Okay, there’s no deal here. We’re gonna move on.’ And while I assume that they could certainly make a deal midseason, I assume that this is what they’re gonna go with.”
This week Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports provided clarity on how Harden feels about L.A. withdrawing from trade talks surrounding him.
According to Fischer’s sources, “Harden still hopes to be moved to the LA Clippers,” despite the franchise’s current stance.
That makes sense, of course. Harden has made it explicitly clear why he is so angry at Daryl Morey and the 76ers. Nothing has happened since then to change his position.
It is also worth remembering, after the Clippers pulled out of trade talks for Harden, a dark horse suitor for his services emerged.
Big weekend for the Ohio State Buckeyes. https://t.co/hmusScq1z8
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 24, 2023
Time will tell if anything comes of that.
One way or another, it feels like Harden isn’t long for Philly. There is simply too much bad blood there.
Where will Harden ultimately end up playing when it is all said and done? An answer one way or the other will emerge over the next few months.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
