Hell-Bent on Leaving the 76ers, James Harden Still Hopeful of Creating Dream Team With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George

It is no secret that James Harden wants to leave the Philadelphia 76ers. Never has a player been more vocal in requesting a trade request. So much so that, he went all the way to China and called the  76ers’ President of Operations, Daryl Morey, a liar. The Beard feels betrayed and fleeced by the franchise. He felt that after taking a pay cut to help the 76ers sign PJ Tucker, he should have been rewarded with a Supermax. However, the Supermax contract didn’t come to the table. Therefore, the guard opted in the final year of his two-year $68 million contract.

Desiring to leave the city of brotherly love, the last-season assists leader looks towards the city of Angels. He wanted to join the Los Angeles Clippers but the franchise seem reluctant to get Harden on board. Or are they?

Will the Clippers trade for James Harden?

A week ago Brian Windhorst reported that the Clippers had ended trade talks with the Sixers. On The Hoops Collective Podcast, he reported,”[Clippers] tried to trade for James Harden, and that deal didn’t happen. And from what I understand, it was the Clippers who said, ‘Okay, there’s no deal here. We’re gonna move on.’ And while I assume that they could certainly make a deal midseason, I assume that this is what they’re gonna go with.”

The comment from a veteran insider made people believe that the Harden-Clippers deal is off, however, then Zach Lowe contradicted these claims. He went to NBA Today and stated, “I don’t think we’ve seen the last of those talks. I have a feeling those talks will be reignited at some point.”

These two contradictory statements have now confused NBA fans. The 76ers can play an iron hand too in these proceedings. Are the Clippers still pursuing Harden? Are they waiting for the season to start and planning for a midseason trade?

Read More: 4 Years After the China Controversy, 10x All-Star James Harden Visits Special Place, Amid Clippers Trade Rumors

As for Harden, his agenda seems crystal clear.

The Beard sticking with the Clippers

As per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, despite Windhorst’s claims and news of the trade talks dying, the amazing shooter, “still hopes to be moved to the LA Clippers”. The Guard has a lot of reason to be interested. The Clippers have two of the best two-way phenoms, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Therefore, Harden can relax on defense and just do his thing on offense. As a playmaker, he will have multiple open lanes to operate and he can help the Clippers shooting too.

However, is this the direction the Clippers heading in? What is the future of Leonard and George considering they haven’t been available enough? Especially, Leonard. Will the team cook something special if they land Harden? Westbrook, Harden, George, and Leonard sound like a dream team. 

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But we have seen the dream team of Harden, Irving, and Durant fail too. What is James Harden’s future in this league?