After months and months of back and forth, the 76ers-Harden saga has finally ended.
The breaking news came in the dead of night, when the world was still in a state of slumber. Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that the 76ers have finally agreed to send the 10-time NBA All-Star guard to the team of his own choice, the LA Clippers.
Via Wojnarowski: BREAKING: The Philadelphia 76ers have agreed on a trade to send guard James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers, sources tell ESPN.
BREAKING: The Philadelphia 76ers have agreed on a trade to send guard James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/wAyuJKMfAw
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 31, 2023
The previous weeks have been hell for both sides, especially for Harden, who seemed eager to get away as soon as possible from the grips of 76ers president Daryl Morey.
Harden’s absence
This month, Harden was away for most of the time, seemingly uninterested in whatever activities the 76ers had on their schedule. He missed the media day, the entire preseason slate, and 10 days of practice. He only showed up at the airport with his bags, reportedly ready to roll for the games against the Bucks and Raptors, only to be denied entry. He was allegedly asked to leave and not travel with the team. He was also requested, according to other reports, to return to the practice facility and collaborate with the development team.
During that time, no one was sure of when Harden would possibly appear in the 76ers’ game. The NBA even launched an investigation as to why Harden had to miss televised games when he was in perfect condition.
But one thing was sure, with all the drama that Harden caused, his relationship with the 76ers has already gone sour. There was no going back. Harden had already made their situation public starting in August, when he called Morey a liar at a public event in China. He even went so far as to call their relationship “irreparable” the day before he started missing practice.
Thankfully, though, the spectators won’t have to see Harden with the 76ers anymore, a team and an organization that he’s tried so desperately to get away from.
The Blockbuster Trade
As reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic, these are the complete details of the blockbuster trade:
Los Angeles Clippers get: James Harden, P.J. Tucker, Filip Petrusev.
Philadelphia 76ers get: Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris, Robert Covington and KJ Martin, and draft picks.
Draft compensation that the Clippers are sending Philadelphia in James Harden trade, per sources:
– 2026 LAC first-round pick via OKC
– 2028 LAC first-round pick
– Two second round picks
– One pick swap https://t.co/ApsFqTjZ9e— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 31, 2023
On the technical side, Harden’s stay with the 76ers wasn’t so bad, as he logged an average of 21.0 points, 10.6 assists, and 6.4 rebounds in 79 games after being acquired at the 2022 deadline.
Happy with the news
After the deal was officially sealed, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that Harden was ‘ecstatic’ to be joining the Clippers. Now, he’s looking forward to joining forces with the Clippers’ strongest players, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook, and helping the team win a championship.
Via Shelburne: Harden is “ecstatic” to be going to the Clippers and is hoping to fly to Los Angeles as soon as possible, sources close to him say. There’s a chance he is in attendance for Tuesday’s home game vs Orlando.
Harden is “ecstatic” to be going to the Clippers and is hoping to fly to Los Angeles as soon as possible, sources close to him say. There’s a chance he is in attendance for Tuesday’s home game vs Orlando. https://t.co/jLgtY5O9jf
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) October 31, 2023
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