Getty Image / Tim Nwachukwu
Since James Harden decided that he was going to exercise his player option for next season and request a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers, fans have been waiting to see what teams might actually pursue the former MVP.
In that time, it has seemed that the market for Harden isn’t quite as robust as may have been expected.
There have been few teams linked to a move for Harden and at this point, NBA executives reportedly believe that the 76ers are actually going to try to keep Harden even after he reiterated his desire to be traded.
Despite that, it seems Harden already knows exactly where he wants to play next season.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Harden is determined to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
What I’m hearing about Damian Lillard, James Harden, Chris Paul and more: Notes from Vegas, at @TheAthletic https://t.co/RkpMVt1xB0
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 13, 2023
This likely wouldn’t be an ideal trade partner for the 76ers. The Clippers don’t have a tradable 1st rounder for a while because of the Paul George trade. The only young asset of interest they could send to Philly would be Bones Hyland, who have seemingly been reluctant to use as a trade piece.
They also don’t have appealing pieces to give up that would help the Philadelphia 76ers win right now.
The Los Angeles Clippers would however be an interesting landing spot for Harden. If he went to LA, he’d be teaming up with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to give the Clippers plenty of star power to make a run.
The trade would also potentially send Russell Westbrook to the bench, giving the Clippers an interesting reserve unit with Westbrook, Norman Powell, and Kenyon Martin Jr.
It doesn’t seem like this is going to be resolved any time soon, but James Harden could be part of a really strong roster if he gets his wish.