Could James Harden Make Los Angeles Clippers Debut vs New York Knicks at MSG?

The New York Knicks could host Los Angeles Clippers history, namely James Harden's red-and-blue debut, on Monday at Madison Square Garden.

James Harden's getting a costume after Halloween but it's hardly discounted.

Harden's Philadelphia drama came to an end on Tuesday as he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in a multi-pronged deal featuring picks and players alike. With the deal, Los Angeles leaps into the penthouse of Western Conference contenders as Harden joins fellow stars Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook in SoCal.

The Harden trade's ripple effects have reached the New York Knicks: not only is it a new development in the team's reported pursuit of his former Philadelphia 76ers teammate Joel Embiid but Madison Square Garden now has a chance to host the opening act of the NBA's newest superteam.

Harden (1) guards Julius Randle during a game at MSG last season / Brad Penner, USA TODAY SPORTS

Fresh off their assumed euphoria, Clipper fans will have to be patient. Harden will not play in the team's Thursday night tilt against Orlando at Crypto.com Arena (10:30 p.m. ET, Bally Sports SoCal). The Clippers (2-1) then engage in a SoCal civil war with the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, but, considering he sat out of the 76ers' first three games, it's difficult to imagine him Harden partaking.

Four days off lead into a three-game road trip ... one that tips off against the Knicks on Monday night at MSG. 

The Knicks (1-2) reportedly inserted themselves into the Harden discussion earlier this offseason but opted to stand pat. Harden will perhaps thus have a chance to not only offer the NBA a warning of what's to come but also prove to the Knicks why he was worth such an exorbitant price. The lights of New York have rarely been too bright for Harden, who has averaged 27.3 points in 29 career showdowns against the Knicks, his fourth-best tally against any single opponent. 

In the meantime, the Knicks have work to do before Harden and Co. arrive in Manhattan: New York has a quick home-and-home with the Cleveland Cavaliers that tips off on Tuesday in Ohio (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/TNT) before a Friday night trip to Milwaukee that will open their inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament slate.