James Harden potentially going to the Clippers has NBA fans in splits - "The injury-prone team gains another member"

The Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets have long been viewed as the only two legitimate free agent suitors for Sixers star guard James Harden. Recent reports have suggested that Harden is increasingly likely to re-sign in Philly as the Rockets are “out of the running.” However, according to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, a new dark-horse suitor has emerged for Harden in the LA Clippers:

“Another team that I’ve heard recently is a dark horse, and kind of watching the situation is the Los Angeles Clippers,” Iko said.

Following the report of the possibility of Harden landing in LA, NBA fans had some fun with the news on Twitter. This came as many made jokes about the Clippers targeting yet another injury-prone star to add alongside stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George:

“The injury-prone team gains another member,” one fan said.

“Collecting old washed-up players,” another said.

Meanwhile, other fans expressed their skepticism about Harden to the Clippers even being a real possibility due to LA’s lack of cap space:

“Bro, he’s not signing a minimum,” one fan said.

“They have no cap room so would need to be a sign and trade. Gimme PG or Kawhi and it’s done!” another said.

Here are a few more of the top fan reactions to the LA Clippers being named a dark horse candidate to sign James Harden:

James Harden still undecided on player option with Sixers

Philadelphia 76ers star guard James Harden

Despite the plethora of reports that James Harden plans to decline his $35.6 million player option for next season, he has yet to do so. Harden now has just one day to make his decision as the deadline for him to accept or decline his option is Thursday. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Harden is expected to take his decision down to the wire as it gives him more leverage:

"I think for James Harden, he'll take it down to the wire over the next 24 hours,” Wojnarowski said.

“If you're James Harden and you get into free agency, you want to know that you're going to get a quick resolution with the Sixers. Because the longer it drags out, money dries out elsewhere, you lose leverage.”

Wojnarowski added that Philly is still torn on how long of a contract to offer Harden if he becomes a free agent:

“I think for Philadelphia, the real hang up, the real challenge is going to be how many years on a deal?” Wojnarowski said.

“I think getting near-max money. ... I don't think it's going to be dollars per season. It's going to be how many years they want to invest in James Harden.”

He also said that Harden would prefer a long-term deal with the Sixers:

"I think the plan as he did his deal last year was to go into free agency. He would opt out of his deal and then be able to do a long-term deal, presumably with the 76ers,” Wojnarowski said.

Wojnarowski then pointed out that Harden could still be traded if he exercises his player option:

“Now, that $35 million option. If he opts into that, he could be traded. The Sixers then (could say) ‘You're under contract, you could be moved.’”

If Harden does accepts his player option and becomes available for trade, it could create a significant shift in the NBA landscape. The possibility of the LA Clippers or another contender landing the veteran star would emerge as a real possibility in that scenario.