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A proposed James Harden trade proposal from HoopsHabit’s Jake Weinbach would send the Philadelphia 76ers a trio of floor-spacing forwards from the Los Angeles Clippers in return: Robert Covington, Terance Mann, and Marcus Morris — the latter of whom was a 47% shooter from beyond the arc during the empty-arena 2020-21 season.
Weinbach’s full haul for the Sixers included Covington, Mann, Morris, Brandon Boston Jr., and a 2028 first-round pick.
Per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, the Clippers are unlikely to part with Mann or meaningful draft assets in any pursuit of Harden.
“There is no market for Harden,” Mannix prefaced before saying, “If there were, he would be gone already, either via free agency (again, Harden opted in) or trade. For weeks Sixers officials have been canvassing the NBA for a satisfactory offer. It isn’t there. The Clippers, Harden’s preferred destination, are interested. But not, it seems, at the cost of Terance Mann and what’s left of their first-round draft capital.”
Analyst Sees Why L.A. Wouldn’t Trade Terance Mann to Sixers
CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn understands the Clippers’ stance on resisting including Mann in any trade talks involving Harden, though he simultaneously acknowledged that a role player holding up a deal involving a former MVP is “jarring.”
“I don’t disagree with the Clippers on this,” Quinn prefaced before saying, “It’s just sort of jarring to think that an NBA team has a chance to unite James Harden, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard and the hold-up is Terence Mann and a few deep future 1sts. Even a year ago that feels unthinkable.”
CBS Sports’ Jasmyn Wimbish reported that a Harden trade isn’t imminent despite the initial trade reports involving the Clippers’ interest.
“Despite initial reports suggesting that the Clippers were the frontrunners to land Harden in a deal, and mutual interest from the All-Star guard to play for the L.A. team, a deal doesn’t appear imminent,” Wimbish prefaced before saying, “From the sounds of Morey’s interview, it appears as though it could be awhile before Harden’s traded anywhere.”
Sixers Not Guaranteed to Trade James Harden
It is far from guaranteed that the Sixers will trade Harden at all during the 2023 NBA offseason. Philadelphia general manager Daryl Morey opened up the possibility of the Beard staying in the City of Brotherly Love if the right trade isn’t found.
“I think James is a very good player and right now, unfortunately, he does prefer to be somewhere else,” Morey said during a July 18 appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic. “I’m attempting to honor that, but the reality is, if we do look at a trade, it’s going to be for one of two things. It’s either going to be for a player who continues to help us be right there like we were last year…or we’re going to do it for something where we get enough draft picks and things like that in a deal that we could turn those into a player who can be a running mate with Joel [Embiid] as well. If we don’t get either a very good player or something we can turn into a very good player, we’re just not going to do it.”
If Harden suits up for the Sixers during the 2023-24 season, the team would more than likely run back the same starting lineup while adding Patrick Beverley and Mo Bamba to the mix in the second unit.
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