What Could a Current James Harden Trade to Clippers Look Like?

The Philadelphia 76ers aren’t in any rush to move their ten-time All-Star guard James Harden despite receiving a request to trade him. 

On the eve of free agency, Harden picked up his player option for next year and alerted the Sixers about his feelings towards playing with them next season. At that point, the Sixers were willing to discuss a Harden-centric trade and received some considerable interest from the Los Angeles Clippers.

Although it initially seemed like Harden would be Los Angeles bound in a matter of days, the Sixers and the Clippers didn’t gain much traction in trade talks. Not only did the situation not get resolved as quickly as some expected — but the talks have dragged on to late July and don’t seem to have the finish line anywhere in sight.

Nothing has changed from any party’s perspective. The Sixers are still willing to work with Harden and keep him on board for the 2022-2023 season and will only trade him away if they receive a package that matches their asking price.

As for the Clippers, they value Harden and have interest, but they aren’t willing to bet big on a one-year rental. And although there have been rumblings about Harden’s willingness to show up to training camp even if he doesn’t get his way before the season starts, the desire to be traded is still very much in place.

Recently, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes created five mock trades that could move some of the NBA’s most notable trade targets, including Clint Capela, Pascal Siakam, Evan Fournier, O.G. Anunoby, and Harden. In the mock proposals, Hughes showed what a current framework for the Sixers and the Clippers could look like.

Would This Deal Move The Needle?

In the swap, the Sixers would hypothetically land Nicolas Batum, Norman Powell, Terance Mann, and Amir Coffey. The Clippers would land James Harden and the sharpshooting reserve, Furkan Korkmaz.

From Philadelphia’s perspective, this trade isn’t pretty. Knowing that Daryl Morey wants to land another player of Harden’s caliber, this package wouldn’t give him that. And even though the Sixers’ President of Basketball Operations mentioned that he would be willing to trade Harden for pieces that could be flipped into a package for a high-end player from elsewhere, a stash of role players without any future picks would be a difficult sell to another team.

The Sixers are in a tough spot leverage-wise with the Harden situation. Since the star guard’s market has been dry this offseason, the Clippers remain one of the only teams interested in acquiring him. And considering the Sixers haven’t lowered their asking price, talks have been reportedly “unserious” as of late. 

We’ve seen this movie with Harden play out multiple times over the last few years. While the standout guard is willing to suit up and play while disgruntled, a breaking point can be reached and has forced Houston and Brooklyn’s hands in the past. 

Daryl Morey might like to think his past with Harden could help him in this situation, but The Beard’s frustration with the front office lately has hinted that might not be the case. At some point, the Sixers might decide that taking less than they expected might be the best move for a team that needs to focus on winning a title in 2024. For now, a package full of role players from LA won’t get it done.