Paul Pierce sounds off on James Harden trade amid Clippers' surge

James Harden's time with the Los Angeles Clippers is over. 

It was made official on Tuesday when the former MVP got shipped to the Cleveland Cavaliers, ending a two-and-a-half season run in L.A. The Cavaliers sent back Darius Garland, a two-time All-Star, plus a second-round pick to complete the deal. The timing raised some eyebrows, especially after recent buzz about what Harden was looking for contract-wise.

James Harden wanted a big payday

Word got out that Harden was chasing a fully guaranteed two-year deal worth $80 million once this season wrapped. The Clippers passed on that. They have been locked into preserving cap space for the summer of 2027 and were not willing to hand out contracts stretching past the 2026-27 season.

Celtics legend Paul Pierce was upfront about how the trade went down. On a Wednesday episode of "No Fouls Given," Pierce tore into the whole thing and called out how the business side keeps getting in the way of the game.

"I really hate the fact that the business of basketball kinda ruins the game. We’re sitting here talking about James not getting his guarantee and he’s thinking about that," Pierce said. "Like, Clippers have been the hottest team in the league. Like, I would have liked to see them play out the year and see if they can cause some havoc. I really believe if you get a Clippers at an eight or seven seed, they could possibly knock out the way they’ve been playing.

"Clippers have been the hottest team. It’s like 'I don’t care we’re the hottest team. I’m looking to get my futures in,' because this could be very well James' last big deal. It just ruins the game."