In A Stunning Twist That Surprises Absolutely Nobody, James Harden Is Reportedly Still Hell-Bent On Becoming A Clipper

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What, you thought the only exhausting trade rumor was going to be about Damian Lillard? 

Not on James Harden's watch. Make no mistake, what James Harden is currently doing (again) is every bit as lame as what Damian Lillard is currently going over in Portland. If you are someone who wants to demand a trade, fine. That's your right as a player. But this trend of players pulling this card and then forcing their way to one team and one team only is fucked. I get it, you don't feel this way if that player is trying to force his way to your favorite team, but the truth is this shit is lame as hell.

A big part of it is these guys want a situation where they can have their cake and eat it too. If Dame wanted to join MIA, he didn't have to sign his extension and could have gone wherever the hell he wanted. If James Harden wanted to be a Clipper this summer, he did not have to pick up his $35M player option and he could have gone to LAC for the mid level or a minimum deal. The reality is, they wanted the money and now they want their teams to bend the knee and continue to give them what they want, even if the return package isn't great.

From the sounds of things, it doesn't look like Dame is going to budge anytime soon, and the same is apparently true for Harden as well

“Harden’s stance has not changed, a source close to him told The Athletic. He still wants to leave Philadelphia. He’s still upset with how Morey handled his situation heading into possible free agency last month. And even with the recent revelation that Harden attended the same NBPA party as Sixers co-star Joel Embiid and former Sixers owner Michael Rubin in Vegas he’s still determined to start next season in a Clippers jersey.” 

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Embiid has been all that successful at convincing Harden to change his mind

Where this gets a little complicated is how the hell Harden plans on getting to LA. Morey's challenge now is to make sure he gets something for this asset that can now leave next summer for nothing, and as it stands this is the Clippers' current cap sheet

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You have to get pretty close to Harden's $35M, so maybe you do something like Mook/Mann? That gives the Sixers an expiring in Mook and a pretty damn good young asset in Mann. Maybe they swap it for Norman Powell? I will say while the Clippers already shot down the idea of trading Paul George

you do have to consider that George does have a player option for $48M next year. If the Clippers aren't going to be willing to pay him what he wants in an extension, maybe they try and get ahead of things and move him early? I think that may be why Morey doesn't feel the need to rush, just like he didn't rush with the Ben Simmons trade demand. 

I think it's more likely we see some sort of multiple-team deal if this does happen than just LAC/PHI doing business together, and those things obviously take time. What makes this situation a little different from Dame's is that we know with absolute certainty James Harden will completely tank everything if he doesn't get what he wants. He's not going to show up for camp, and when he does show up he's going to be wildly out of shape. 

It's going to be fascinating to see how both the Dame and Harden trades play out because both guys are doing everything they can to actively kill the trade market for their current team while neither guy has a no trade clause like Bradley Beal did. The NBA clearly doesn't give a shit about their star players going this route, and it does establish a pretty dangerous precedent. The thing is, I don't think there's a way the league can stop stuff like this from continuing to happen. This is just life in the NBA in 2023. Extensions don't mean dick no matter how many years are left on the deal, and it no longer matters if a certain team can only offer you 40 cents on the dollar, these teams are basically being bullied into conceding. 

Of the two, I think Dame is likely to be moved first for no other reason than we already know Daryl Morey doesn't give a shit if this stuff drags into the season. He's literally already lived this exact scenario and he had to trade a guy that wasn't even playing. Harden may not be perfect, but at least he's currently playing and if he sits out then so be it. 

The Sixers will survive as long as Joel Embiid exists.