Tyronn Lue Shares Disappointment With James Harden Trade Request

[Editors Note: This was published just before the trade announcement that sent Harden to Cleveland for Darius Garland and a 2nd round pick. BJ will cover that news soon.]

Another bombshell has been dropped.

During the night of the L.A. Clippers losing embarrassingly to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Monday night headlines stole the spotlight from ESPN insider Shams Charania.

The Clippers and 11-time All-Star James Harden are working through whether the sides can find a deal by Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, sources tell ESPN. Both sides are aligned in conversations together and with interested teams, Charania reported on X.

From the moment the news broke in the second quarter of the Sixers-Clippers game, it seemed as if the Clippers players found out at the same time as everyone else.

The Clippers have had a challenging season so far as the 10th seed in the Western Conference. However, they’ve won 19 of their last 24 games, which makes it even more shocking that Harden asked to be traded at this point in the season.

After the game, a dejected Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue spoke about the elephant in the room surrounding Harden’s trade request:

“He means a lot. He means a lot to our team. You’ve seen it the last three years.” Does he want to see him stay? “Who wouldn’t want to have James Harden?” Lue said after the game.

Lue looked to muster up the energy to talk about something that he most likely wished hadn’t gotten out until after the game.

James Harden Trade Request: Why Does James Harden Want Out?

Once again, the Clippers have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Harden has been listed as inactive for the last two games due to “personal reasons.” This is a player who is usually always available for games, so once he missed back-to-back contests, suspicion started to rise.

So, the exact timeframe hasn’t been disclosed, and the reasoning for the trade doesn’t make sense from a basketball perspective.

On ESPN on Tuesday morning, Charania explained what he knows about Harden’s trade situation:

“He wants to be somewhere he will be for multiple years,” Charania said. “That was not promised to him in L.A. He wants to compete for a championship.”

The exact reason has not been disclosed yet, but if a trade is announced within the next 48 hours, then the details will surface.

The trade that has been discussed most is the Clippers acquiring two-time All-Star Darius Garland from the Cleveland Cavaliers. After the Cavs moved off their wing, De’Andre Hunter, and with Donovan Mitchell, Lonzo Ball, and now Keon Ellis on the roster—who are all guards—Garland could now be on the move.

Despite the shocking news, Harden has requested trades midseason with his last three teams for multiple reasons. However, Lue has made it clear how much he values Harden from the moment he came to the Clippers back in October 2023.

There could be a case made that Lue was the one who vouched for the Clippers to acquire Harden from Philadelphia. Lue has given Harden the keys as the primary point guard. Two and a half years later, Harden wanting to finish his career elsewhere seemed like a shock to Lue, especially after his efforts to give Harden everything he wanted. The trade deadline ends on February 5th; it should be a wild 24–48 hours.