James Harden is on the move yet again. After immense national scrutiny, Daryl Morey has finally given The Beard?his wish. The Los Angeles Clippers can anticipate James Harden any day now. The LA native was hoping to move to the City of Angels. When his expectations weren’t met at the onset of free agency, he dragged the team’s president through the mud. His explosive tactics have got him his wish now with a bombshell trade.
This marks the end of Harden’s five-month-long ordeal. He is not the only one moving in this deal. This will certainly make people re-calculate their predictions.
James Harden gets the trade he wanted
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There is no doubt that James Harden has more playtime left in him. After the Philadelphia 76ers dragged their feet on his free agency, he targeted the team’s president, Daryl Morey. His rant put public pressure on Morey and it seems to have paid off.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has confirmed that the Sixers have agreed to a trade deal for Harden. He’s now heading to the Los Angeles Clippers as he wanted. On June 29, the eve of free agency, he exercised his $35.6 million player option and requested the Sixers send him to the Clippers. The guard had apparently been dissatisfied with the team for not giving him a long-term extension.
Philadelphia reportedly failed to find a sufficient return for Harden and called him back to training camp. But The Beard’s?relationship soured from there. He’s done everything to force the 76ers hand, particularly by going after president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey.
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He publicly denounced Morey at an event in China. “Daryl Morey is a liar,”?he had criticized and vowed he’d never play in a team managed by him ever again.
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Now he’s going to play across the country. Along with the MVP, Wojnarowski reported that the Clippers will also gain PJ Tucker and Filip Petrusev. The 76ers will receive Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, and KJ Martin along with multiple future draft picks. Despite the tension between him and the team, Harden did try to fulfill the bare minimum before his exit from Philadelphia.
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James Harden didn’t leave silently
Amid the tensions between Harden and Morey, the 10x All-Star chose to not attend the team’s media day but he did go to training camp. He didn’t play any pre-season games and was apparently prevented by security from boarding the team’s plane for the first two season-opening games.
Harden was on the bench during the home opener this week. While he might be subject to fines for missing practice and games, he’s finding support in retired pros like Shaquille O’Neal. Charles Barkley also expressed his concern for Harden.
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READ MORE: James Harden Clippers Trade: Details on What 76ers Lost and Gained in the Blockbuster Deal
It’s not clear when Harden will make his Clippers debut. Their next game is against the Orlando Magic on November 1. We know many within NBA broadcasting booths have their fingers crossed waiting for him.