James Harden’s Trade Chances to Clippers Aren’t Lost

The Clippers might've been the ones to shut down trade talks for 76ers' James Harden, but that doesn't mean the idea is totally lost.

When NBA Insider Brian Windhorst re-visited the James Harden saga late last week, it caused quite a stir in the NBA rumor mill.

If you’ve been paying attention, you have probably seen several times already that the Los Angeles Clippers have reportedly shut down the idea of trading for James Harden entirely.

76ers' James Harden facing the Clippers during a January battle.  / USA Today

For over a month now, the communication between the 76ers and the Clippers regarding a Harden trade hasn’t existed. We knew that would be the case when it was reported that the Sixers were going to head into training camp with the hopes that Harden would arrive ready to play.

When the ten-time All-Star was informed that was where his trade request was headed, he proceeded to call out the Sixers’ President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey.

Training camp is 15 days away for the Sixers. Some mixed reports have indicated that Harden’s presence in Fort Collins is in question. While Harden is likely holding out hope that the Clippers and the Sixers get back on the phone and talk shop once again, Windhorst assumes that won’t happen. 

And that’s how we got here.

Are the Clippers Totally Out on Harden?

In short, no.

Sure, the Clippers might’ve “moved on,” but that doesn’t mean they can’t backtrack and re-visit trade discussions with the Sixers in the future, which is a point the ESPN Insider made.

“The Clippers tried to trade for James Harden, and that deal didn’t happen,” Windhorst said. “From what I understand, it was the Clippers who said, ‘Okay, there’s no deal here — we’re gonna move on.’ While I assume that they could certainly make a deal midseason, I assume that this is what they’re gonna go with.”

Getting Harden to join Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is a want, not a need, for Los Angeles. Since the Clippers don’t have any of their prominent players forcing their hand, there isn’t any incentive for the Clippers to meet the Sixers’ asking price — especially when the market for Harden proved to be dry in the days leading up to free agency.

Meanwhile, the Sixers are just following the blueprint of their last holdout situation by practicing patience. The method might not work one hundred percent of the time, but it’s worth trying to go two-for-two as long as the team’s franchise player supports the idea of dealing with another potential holdout.

Here’s a reminder of the past: During training camp in 2021, the Brooklyn Nets didn’t feel any pressure to move on from James Harden. If the Sixers called about a deal centered around Ben Simmons, Brooklyn probably laughed it off. By the time February rolled around, the pressure had reversed, and the leverage shifted. 

Once Brooklyn realized they might be dealing with a far-less motivated player during a championship-or-bust season, they accepted the reality of the situation and helped the Sixers’ patience pay off months after Simmons made his initial trade request. 

Nobody can say for sure whether or not the Clippers find themselves in a similar scenario during the 2023-2024 season, but the Sixers seem to believe it’s worth another shot to wait and see.