Report: Philadelphia 76ers Trade James Harden to Los Angeles Clippers
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Philadelphia 76ers have traded James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers.
According to Wojnarowski, the Sixers will send Harden, PJ Tucker, and Filip Petrusev to the Clippers in exchange for Marcus Morris, Nic Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, multiple draft picks and pick swaps.
The picks sent from the Clippers will include an unprotected 2028 first-round pick, two second-round picks, as well as an additional future first-round pick from an undisclosed team, as reported by Wojnarowski.
To make space for the fleet of incoming players, Philadelphia will waive Danny Green, who just returned to the team in the off-season on a veteran's minimum, partially guaranteed deal. In two games, Green averaged nine minutes on the floor for the Sixers this season. During the Sixers’ win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, Green picked up a DNP.
Harden, in his two seasons with the Sixers, averaged 21 points, ten assists, and six rebounds. During the 2022-2023 NBA season, the veteran guard led the league in assists with 10.7 per game.
During the playoffs, Harden saw a slight dip in his production. In 12 games during the 2022 postseason run, Harden averaged 19 points and nine assists. Last season, he averaged 20 points with eight assists.
As for the veteran reserve PJ Tucker, he made himself known as a locker room figure, providing pep talks to his teammates. While he was a defensive standout down the stretch of the 2022-2023 season, he received a lot of criticism for struggling to have a steady impact on offense throughout the year.
The blockbuster trade comes after a collapse in the relationship between Harden and the president of Sixers basketball operations, Daryl Morey.
The 31-year-old Harden hadn't appeared in any of the Sixers' games so far this season, returning to practice last week after a hiatus due to personal reasons.
