(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia 76ers‘ long standoff with James Harden ended on Monday night when they finally traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers.
They had been trying to trade him since early in the summer, but their efforts were met with frustration, especially from Harden, who at one point called executive Daryl Morey a “liar” after Morey paused the efforts to trade him.
While he played fairly well for the Sixers last season, Harden admitted that playing chiefly a facilitating role for them made him feel constrained, per ClutchPoints.
“Philly is just changing my role knowing I can give more, knowing I can do more, but if you want me to be honest, it’s like being on a leash… I never really had that opportunity [to score and facilitate freely].”
James Harden on his Sixers situation
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/ENvnygLE5Q
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 2, 2023
The former regular-season MVP averaged 10.7 assists a game last season, which led the NBA, and he has essentially been a point guard over the last three seasons after he had been a volume scorer in the past.
In the last three seasons, he averaged 22.3 points a game, but in his previous three seasons, he put up 33.7 points per contest while leading the league in that category for each of those three years.
Harden will now be joining Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook on an intriguing Clippers team that will have to figure out chemistry given that at least three of these four stars are ball-dominant.
Meanwhile, Philly received Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nic Batum, KJ Martin, and two future first-round draft picks, giving them a rather deep team around reigning MVP Joel Embiid.
They may not be championship contenders, but they at least have some pieces they could flip for the final piece to the puzzle later this season.
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