Clippers Star Reveals Honest Thoughts on Losing Key Players to Sixers

LA Clippers star Paul George felt his team took a hit when they traded with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Oct 29, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum (33) forward Paul George (13) guard Russell Westbrook (0) and forward Kawhi Leonard (2) watch game action aganst the San Antonio Spurs during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Last summer, the LA Clippers hoped to form a big three between Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and James Harden. In order to get the third prospect in the mix, the Clippers needed to form a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Despite his frustrations with the organization, Harden picked up his player option with the Sixers last summer. He did it with intentions of securing his one-year salary, while hoping for a trade to the Clippers so he can get a fresh start.

While Harden’s move out West came later than desired, he was sent packing along with Filip Petrusev and PJ Tucker just a few games into the 2023-2024 regular season.

The move was key for the Clippers in more ways than one. And according to the All-Star wing Paul George, the loss of the players the Sixers landed in return for Harden, Tucker, and Petrusev certainly had its downside.

“We started the year off hot,” George explained on Podcast P. “Everybody was playing well, there was the energy there. It was kinda like the first time of us all being healthy with Russ now. It was the emergence of what it’s like being with Russ now, with myself healthy, Kawhi healthy, and Russ full-time here. It was kind of like a fresh start of what we thought could work. Then we traded to get James, and it’s not James’ fault of why we struggled, but the lost part of that was we lost RoCo, we lost Nico. This was our glue guys. That was our defenders, and we played small. So they had the length that helped us play small.”

The Sixers acquired a package full of role players in exchange for the ten-time All-Star. Nic Batum, Marcus Morris, KJ Martin, and Robert Covington were all viewed as potential trade chips for the Sixers to place on the table in a later deal to acquire another star to fill the shoes of Harden after his departure.

Multiple factors played into the Sixers’ decision to keep most of that package on board. Not only was Tyrese Maxey’s All-Star emergence enough to show the Sixers that they had the ideal co-star alongside Joel Embiid already, but the “glue guys” the Clippers lost, were beneficial for Philadelphia.

Nic Batum played a key role all the way down to the wire for the Sixers. While Morris didn’t stick with the Sixers for their playoff run, he played himself into becoming a helpful trade chip in the deal that netted the Sixers Buddy Hield.

Prior to Covington suffering a knee injury, he found consistent rotational minutes. Martin struggled to find a rhythm in Philadelphia, experiencing a lack of minutes, but he was a helpful depth piece when the Sixers were undermanned throughout the regular season.

Both, the Clippers and the Sixers have some major decisions to make this summer. For LA, they have to make offers to Harden and George if they wish to retain them. For Philly, most of their 2023-2024 roster is set to become free agents.

The Sixers benefitted from the presence of the players they acquired from LA, and they could look to bring one or two of them back. Many around the league expect the Sixers to keep an eye on George’s situation in LA, as he could become one of the top free agents in the market in the coming weeks.