Clippers Announce James Harden's Status Amid Trade Report

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Dec 18, 2025 6:02 AM ET

James Harden played through a calf injury on Monday as the Los Angeles Clippers suffered a 121-103 blowout loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. The former NBA Most Valuable Player logged 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting, to go along with three rebounds, six assists, three steals and one triple in 31 minutes of action. It was far from enough to lift the Clippers, though, as they suffered their fourth consecutive loss.

L.A. is back in action on Thursday. They face a tough matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder side, looking to bounce back from their NBA Cup semifinal loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The Clippers, however, will need to try to secure an upset win against the defending champions without Harden.

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Clippers enter Thursday’s game with a 6-20 record. They are second-to-the-last in the Western Conference.

There have been talks about the Clippers potentially blowing it up amid their tumultuous season. This includes the possibility of parting ways with Harden and Kawhi Leonard. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, however, recently reported that a rebuild does not appear to be in the books for the Clippers, and that they "want to get back to being as competitive as they can be."

Based on this latest update, it does not seem like L.A. has any intention of parting ways with Harden — at least not at this time. The team, however, will need to be without the 11-time All-Star for their next game. The Clippers announced on Wednesday via the official injury report that Harden will not be able to play on Thursday against the Thunder due to a left calf contusion.

The extent of Harden's injury remains unclear at this time. His next chance to play will be on Saturday against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Harden has been healthy this season. Thursday’s absence will be just his second missed game of the campaign. In 25 games played, the 36-year-old has averaged 26.0 points on 44.0% shooting, 5.2 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 3.6 triples in 35.4 minutes per contest.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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