NBA Insider: Clippers Want to Watch James Harden ‘Fire Burn'

The Clippers are in no rush to trade for Sixers' James Harden.

As the Philadelphia 76ers navigate through another drama-filled offseason, the Los Angeles Clippers are reportedly sitting back and watching it all unfold with their arms crossed and their feet laid up.

Earlier this summer, the Clippers were one of a few teams in the market for Harden’s services after he picked up his player option and requested a trade from the 76ers. While the expectation initially was that the Sixers would ship Harden to Los Angeles rather quickly — reality showed that Daryl Morey’s asking price wasn’t coming from a desperate position.

Similar to the infamous Ben Simmons saga two summers ago, Morey and the Sixers are willing to wait it out and see this thing through until a desirable offer comes across their desk. Meanwhile, the Clippers are playing a similar game, as they don’t want to be the first to blink.

This week, ESPN/Andscape’s Marc Spears discussed the latest on the Harden front from the Clippers’ perspective. As expected, LA doesn’t feel rushed to up their offer to land the ten-time All-Star.

“From what I’m told about the Clippers is that they’re not being desperate,” said Spears. “They feel like they’re going to keep watching this fire burn. And at some point, the Sixers could be desperate, and they are going to get pennies on the dollar instead of the big demands that Daryl Morey is making.”

The Clippers are playing their cards exactly as they should be when it comes to the Harden negotiations. As LA is still a competitive team in the Western Conference with or without the star ball-handler, they don’t need to rush to make a move as they can wait it out and see where they’re at as a team before parting ways with picks and other players to nab a disgruntled player with recent baggage.

As for the Sixers, they are simply following a similar path as their last standoff in hopes of finding similar or better results. While holding onto the three-time All-Star Ben Simmons was a distraction for several months during the 2021-2022 season, the Sixers remained afloat in the Eastern Conference and cashed in with a trade for an All-Star guard, which was needed.

The best-case scenario for the Sixers would be seeing LA’s backcourt struggle to begin the season and have a strong need for an assist machine like Harden. 

A second-best scenario would be another team landing in a similar situation and hoping they can get Harden as a dark horse candidate. In that case, it could force the Clippers to bring more to the table in trade discussions and create a bidding battle.

For the time being, LA doesn’t have an incentive to rush. Not only are they the only team in the market for Harden currently, but the Sixers have also temporarily closed up shop in trade discussions centered around the 33-year-old guard. As a result, Harden’s stayed true to his plans to get uncomfortable. 

We’ll see how long this standoff lasts.  

---

More on the James Harden Saga

• No Holding Back: Harden Speaks His Mind on Daryl Morey [READ MORE]

• Unfinished Business: Harden Sends Another Clear Message [READ MORE]

• Price to Pay: The NBA Steps in After Harden's Viral Comments [READ MORE]

• How'd It Get Here?: The Key Factors That Played Into the Drama [READ MORE]

• The Response: Harden Takes to Social Media to Respond [READ MORE]