Sixers prolonging James Harden saga amid Clippers trade offer
The Los Angeles Clippers continue to court James Harden amid his dispute with the Philadelphia 76ers organization.
On Sunday's episode of "NBA Countdown," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Clippers would like to get a deal done for Harden "sooner rather than later" but are reluctant to increase their offer to Philadelphia.
Per Wojnarowski, Los Angeles' offer of a first-round pick, a pick swap and expiring contracts is by far the most lucrative offer the Sixers have received for Harden. Despite the offer, there is no traction on a potential deal as the Sixers remain adamant that the Clippers include Terance Mann in any package for Harden.
On Thursday, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported on Bally Sports' "The Rally" that Philadelphia values a package consisting of Mann and multiple first-round picks. Mann, 26, is the most intriguing trade chip the Clippers have to boast across an otherwise older roster.
Los Angeles has long valued Mann, refusing to include him in a potential deal for then-Toronto Raptors star Fred VanVleet at last season's trade deadline. Nevertheless, Mann isn't the type of player that should halt a Harden deal from getting done.
While serviceable on both ends of the court, Mann is an 8.0 PPG scorer who has struggled to carve out a consistent role in the Clippers rotation — playing fewer than 20 minutes in nine of Los Angeles' final 16 regular-season games in 2022-23.
From Philadelphia's perspective, being stingy in a potential deal involving a former league MVP is understandable, albeit irrational. Harden's declining scoring output and tendency to uproot franchises in an ugly fashion have diminished his trade value. His 21.0 PPG scoring average as a Sixer is 12.6 PPG fewer than the 33.6 PPG he averaged over the final three full seasons of his Houston Rockets tenure. Furthermore, if Philadelphia does move Harden this season, it will mark the 10-time All-Star's fourth team in as many years.
Unless the Sixers truly believe they can iron out their issues with Harden, they're better off stomaching a less-than-stellar trade return than rostering a disgruntled Harden into the season.
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