NBA Trade Rumors: Predicting the deal that will send James Harden to the LA Clippers.
It’s been roughly six weeks since James Harden informed the Philadelphia 76ers that he wanted to be traded to the LA Clippers. After initial trade talks between the two teams, there doesn’t appear to be any traction between the two sides. In other words, the Sixers and Clippers find themselves at an impasse.
Even though a deal doesn’t appear close, the overwhelming belief is that Harden will eventually get his way and land with the Clippers via trade. And a big part of that is the fact that there’s virtually no trade market (outside of LA) for Harden.
There is no trade market for James Harden
The lack of trade interest revolving around Harden is not surprising. Harden is entering the final year of his contract and is past his prime, and the reported asking price is high. That’s a formula that will equate to an underwhelming trade market. It shouldn’t be surprising for Daryl Morey and the Sixers. However, it could be a tough pill to swallow.
Once Morey realizes that Harden doesn’t want to be in Philadelphia and that it would be a detriment to the team to bring him into training camp, he’s going to scramble to try and complete a deal with the Clippers. It won’t be ideal, but Morey is smart and will make the best of the situation.
Let’s attempt to predict how this will all end for James Harden, the Sixers, and the Clippers.
When could we see a James Harden trade come to fruition?
This is the big question that we’re all waiting to answer – when will this national nightmare all be over? While it’s hard to predict when James Harden will be traded, there are some facts that could help us gauge a pretty accurate timeline. Assuming that we have all the available information about this situation and that Harden truly wants to be in LA, I can’t imagine this is something Morey will want to deal with once the season officially starts.
The last thing that the Sixers would need is for this to drag into training camp. Even though Philadelphia is a veteran-laden team, the Sixers don’t need this type of distraction hanging over their head entering the season. I imagine that a Harden trade, assuming he doesn’t change his mind on his request, will happen at some point before the start of training camp.
Training camps in the NBA are slated to open in early October. That means we should expect some sort of resolution on the Harden front during August or September. That gives both sides a little less than two months to figure something out
What each team is prioritizing in a potential deal
If everything that we know about James Harden’s situation is true and accurate, why hasn’t a deal come to fruition? Well, that’s where it gets a bit complicated. From everything that has been reported, one of the bigger reasons why a deal hasn’t come to fruition is because of the negotiating that is taking place between the Clippers and Sixers. Considering there’s still time to get a deal done, that isn’t all that surprising.
From all indications, one of the biggest sticking points for both teams is Terance Mann. Predictably, the Clippers don’t want to include him in any deal for Harden and the Sixers don’t want to make a deal unless Mann is in the package. If a deal is going to be reached, there’s going to have to be some sort of meeting in the middle.
But that’s what both teams are prioritizing right now. The big question is which team is going to bend in order to facilitate the deal. Is there even a meeting of the middle in this situation? We should find out as we get closer to the start of training camp.
Predicting what the James Harden deal will look like
I think in order for this trade to go through before the start of training camp, there’s going to be some give and take for both sides. Here’s what it will come down to for the Clippers: If Terance Mann is involved, there will not be picks sent to the Sixers. That simply can’t happen from LA’s point of view. And not just that, not only will the Clippers not part ways with draft capital in this deal but the Sixers will have to send a couple of second-round picks to the Clippers.
That may be enough for the Sixers to agree to. In essence, what this deal is equating to is Harden for Terance Mann and salary filler, and then PJ Tucker for two second-round picks. It may not be great value for Harden and Tucker in a vacuum, but considering the circumstances it’s not a terrible return for Philadelphia in the long run.
The Clippers would emerge with a starting 5 of Harden, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Tucker, and Ivica Zubac with Russell Westbrook, Norman Powell, Kenyon Martin Jr., Bones Hyland, and Mason Plumlee still on the bench.
The Sixers would lose Harden and trot out a starting 5 of Mann, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, Marcus Morris/Robert Covington/Nicolas Batum, and Joel Embiid. They’d also still have a solid bench with whichever two don’t start of Morris/Covington/Batum, Patrick Beverley, De’Anthony Melton, and Paul Reed.