Newley-acquired star James Harden is expected to make his season debut with the LA Clippers on Monday night against the New York Knicks.
It took nearly four months for James Harden to get his trade demand met from the Philadelphia 76ers. However, when it was all said and done, the Sixers did trade Harden to the LA Clippers. In what ended up being a three-team trade, the Clippers acquired Harden and P.J. Tucker in exchange for Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nic Batum, KJ Martin, and draft compensation.
With the Harden trade saga officially in the books, not only do the Sixers have the luxury of moving on, but so do the Clippers. LA can now move forward with this revamped roster as they perhaps make one final attempt to win an NBA Championship with the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George core.
And while Harden has quickly become one of the more polarizing players in the league, there’s no question that he still has very much left in the tank and will be a huge asset for the Clippers this season.
He’s a player that will take a ton of pressure off of Kawhi and PG, which is something they’ve clearly needed over the last couple of seasons and is still one of the more dynamic playmakers in the game. The Clippers have been in the market for a natural point guard and got one of the best ones on the market in Harden. He clearly raises the ceiling for the Clippers and I don’t think there are many questions that they’re a better team than they are today than they were before Harden.
But nearly a week after the Harden trade, he still has yet to make his debut with the team. However, that seems to be changing soon.
When will James Harden make his debut for the LA Clippers?
According to recent reporting, Harden is set to make his season and Clippers debut against the New York Knicks on Monday night (November 6).
New Clippers star James Harden will debut on Monday vs. the Knicks at Madison Square Garden – and the team is expected to start Russell Westbrook, Harden, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac moving forward, sources tell me and @LawMurrayTheNU.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 5, 2023
It’s kind of the perfect debut for Harden. On the Madison Square Garden stage, Harden will have the opportunity to prove that he’s still very much the MVP-level talent that many have somewhat given up on.
The Clippers will also be able to prove to the NBA world that they’re going to be a serious threat to win the title. What better way to showcase that against a likely playoff team in the Eastern Conference?
We’re going to get a look at what the Clippers could potentially be this season, something that many have been waiting on for the past four months.