LA Clippers ‘Determined’ to Have Former Sixers Star Next Season

Former Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden remains a priority for the LA Clippers.

Mar 27, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) drives for a shot past Philadelphia 76ers forward Nicolas Batum (40) during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports | Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

When the Philadelphia 76ers were at a crossroads with their former All-Star guard, James Harden, only one team became prominent in Harden’s trade market.

All along, the Los Angeles Clippers showed interest in Harden ahead of the 2023-2024 NBA season. When Harden picked up his player option for next year, it was just a matter of when and not if the All-Star landed out West with the Clippers.

Early on during the 2023-2024 season, the Sixers and the Clippers struck a deal, which officially ended the Harden saga in Philly and started a new big three in LA, as Harden joined Paul George and Kawhi Leonard on the Clippers.

Now, the Clippers are looking to keep the core players together beyond 2023-2024. During the regular season, the Clippers struck an extension with Leonard. This week, the head coach Ty Lue garnered one of his own as well.

The next order of business for the Clippers is to retain Harden and George. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, that’s become a priority this summer.

“The Clippers are determined to keep Paul George and James Harden in free agency,” Wojnarowski wrote. “The organization will move into the new, state-of-the-art Intuit Dome for the start of next season.”

George has a looming player option for next season. He is expected to decline in hopes of landing a max extension. So far, the Clippers seem unwilling to go there with George, which leads people around the league to believe George will test the free agency market.

In the event he does, the Sixers are expected to be near the front of the line bidding for his services. For now, George remains a member of the Clippers.

Mar 24, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) drives past Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul Reed (44) for a basket in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

As for Harden, he’ll hit the free agency market once again. After he picked up his player option with the Sixers last summer, he was no longer extension-eligible and was guaranteed to hit the open market after getting moved to LA.

It appears there hasn’t been a change of heart from the Clippers’ organization. Barring any unexpected changes, the Clippers seem to be all-in on bringing Harden back for a second season and potentially more.

In two seasons with the Sixers, Harden averaged 21 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds while shooting 44 percent from the field and 39 percent from three.

With the Clippers last season, Harden produced 17 points, nine rebounds, and five assists per game. He averaged 43 percent of his shots from the field and 38 percent of his threes.