LOS ANGELES — Editor's note: The above video is from Oct. 19.
The Philadelphia 76ers have finally made a deal to send embattled James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers, a move he has been pushing for for months.
ESPN confirms the trade between the 76ers, Clippers and a third team.
The 76ers will send Harden, forward P.J. Tucker and center Filip Petrusev to the Clippers in exchange for forwards Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Kenyon Martin Jr., and Robert Covington, who will return to Philadelphia nearly five years after being traded.
In exchange, Philadelphia will acquire the Clippers' 2028 unprotected first round pick, two second round picks, a pick swap and an additional first round pick from an undisclosed third team.
As a result of the trade, the 76ers are cutting veteran guard Danny Green to make roster space.
Harden, who told the 76ers the Clippers were his preferred team from the moment he issued his offseason trade demand, now joins a loaded roster intent on making a title push. He joined Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook — Harden's former teammate in Oklahoma City and Houston — in a veteran lineup that now make the Clippers a heavy betting favorite to win the NBA championship.
The 34-year-old Harden was public about being unhappy with the 76ers during the offseason, calling team president Daryl Morey a liar and vowing to never be part of an organization under Morey again.
Harden had picked up his $35.6 million contract option in June with the belief the team would trade him. When a deal failed to immediately materialize, Harden's relationship with the 76ers ultimately soured.
The 10-time All-Star led the NBA in assists last season with 10.7 per game but it was Harden's wildly fluctuating offense that frustrated the Sixers and helped doom them in the Eastern Conference second-round loss to Boston.
After twists and turns during training camp, including Harden being at team practice and then missing team activities while in Houston, Philadelphia held him out from regular season action until the team could work out a deal with Los Angeles.
Harden, acquired at the 2022 trade deadline from Brooklyn, is now off to his fifth team.
The 76ers will host the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. The Clippers set to play Tuesday night against Orlando. There was no immediate word when all the traded players would be available to their new teams.
This may be the Clippers' last chance to win a title with this group of All-Stars. Both Leonard and George are eligible for extensions and the Clippers will have to decide whether it’s worth keeping the injury-prone duo together. Part of Harden’s complaint with the Sixers stemmed from the belief he should have earned a long-term contract with the team after last season.
Harden dressed in street clothes and sat on the bench for Sunday's home opener against Portland. NBA MVP Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey have the 76ers off to a 2-1 start all while Morey navigated the Harden headache.
Harden and the 76ers are no strangers to turmoil. Harden’s wildly successful tenure in Houston -- where he first teamed with Morey, then the general manager -- included three scoring titles and the 2018 NBA MVP award. But his relationship with Houston eventually fell apart and he forced his way to Brooklyn in 2021. He joined Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and formed a Big 3 that was never very big. The trio was socked by injuries and other controversies and played only 18 games together before Harden wanted out.
So it was off to Philly at the 2022 trade deadline, where he was reunited with Morey and seemed comfortable in his role as a playmaker while the offense ran through Embiid. Harden even declined in June 2022 his $47.4 million option, saying he wanted to give the 76ers financial flexibility to improve their roster and compete for a championship. He signed a deal worth slightly over $68 million, paying him about $33 million last season with a $35.6 million player option for this season.
Harden appeared determined to sever ties with the Sixers in August after he called Morey a liar at a promotional event in China.
“Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of,” Harden said at the event. “Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he’s a part of.”
The 76ers do get draft picks down the road but the short-term win — besides shearing themselves of The Beard —- is a glut of salary cap space next season.
While the Sixers failed to get prized guard Terance Mann in the deal, Batum, Covington (making his second stint with the 76ers), Martin and Morris all have expiring contracts at the end of the season. That leaves just Embiid, Paul Reed and Jaden Springer as the only players on the books for 2024-2025. For now. The Sixers are expected use some of the cap space to extend Maxey next summer.