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James Harden could land with the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason if he opts into his player option for the 2023-24 season and explicitly demands a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers to Tinseltown according to Liberty Ballers’ Erin Grugan.
“The Clippers are a team that haven’t really featured in the conversation surrounding Harden, at least not publicly,” Grugan prefaced before saying, “For that sort of move to realistically happen, Harden would have to opt-in to his $35.6 million player option with the Sixers, and then be traded. Even then, Harden would have to want to go to Los Angeles, as he has the power to veto any trade.”
The Athletic’s Kelly Iko reported that the Clippers were in on Harden as a potential suitor after Los Angeles’ attempt to Malcolm Brogdon in a three-team deal sending Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics.
“Another team that I’ve heard recently is a dark horse and kind of watching the situation is the Los Angeles Clippers,” Iko reported on a Twitter livestream.
‘Indications’ Are That James Harden Remains With Sixers
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst doesn’t believe Harden is destined to flee Philadelphia, reporting on the June 28 edition of “Get Up” that “the indications” are that “the Beard” will stay with the Sixers; wondering only about what the two sides will agree to in contract negotiations.
“I don’t think just because he opts out of it, which I would expect him to do, that it means he’s leaving — the indications are that James Harden is going to remain in Philadelphia,” Windhorst said. “I would not say for sure it’s a done deal, but those are the indications and really, it’ll come down to what sort of contract they negotiate. He could get up to four years. I’m sure Philadelphia, with a 33-year-old, would like it shorter. And that’s part of the negotiation I think the Sixers have been working on in recent weeks.”
NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Noah Levick believes the Sixers could show trepidation in handing Harden a long-term deal despite showing his loyalty last summer by taking a pay cut to allow the team to sign two of his former Houston Rockets teammates.
“Should Harden stay with the Sixers, the specifics of his new deal will matter plenty,” Levick prefaced before saying, “By declining his player option last summer and taking a pay cut, Harden made it possible for the Sixers to sign P.J. Tucker (standard mid-level exception) and Danuel House Jr. (bi-annual exception). Beyond the aging and injury concerns valid with any player in his mid-30s, the heightened restrictions in the NBA’s new CBA are another reason to be reluctant about the idea of a long-term Harden deal.”
Sixers Could Explore James Harden Sign-and-Trade Scenarios
CBS Sports’ James Herbert reported that the Sixers could explore sign-and-trade scenarios for Harden should the team end up resigned to losing the former MVP guard.
“If Harden decides to leaves the Sixers, Daryl Morey could try to work out a sign-and-trade (to create a trade exception) or dump salary (to create cap space),” Herbert wrote.
A Harden market could get interesting, Herbert notes, if his former employer Houston gets involved in a bidding war and offers the guard a similar contract salary-wise over the same contract timeframe.
“Assuming he turns down his $35.6 million player option, Philadelphia can offer him a maximum of $210 million on a four-year contract, but it would likely prefer a shorter, smaller deal,” Herbert wrote. “Houston’s front office could theoretically create a bidding war, given that it can offer him almost $202 million over four years, but it’s not clear how high it is willing to go.”
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