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With the start of the 2023-24 NBA season fast approaching, Philadelphia 76ers star guard James Harden’s offseason trade request has still yet to be granted. Harden first requested a trade back in late June, however, few teams have registered interest in the star guard since then. Meanwhile, the Sixers have been holding out for an offer that will keep them in championship contention. The months-long saga has left a dark cloud hanging over Philly with fans anxiously waiting for the situation to be resolved. However, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Harden still isn’t expected to be traded anytime soon.
During a recent episode of “NBA Today,” Wojnarowski provided an update on Harden’s situation. Wojnarowski said that Sixers team president Daryl Morey is still being patient in trade negotiations with Harden’s top suitor, the LA Clippers. This is because the team plans to flip whatever assets they get back for Harden in exchange for another All-Star level guard:
“Daryl Morey's motivation is whatever he gets from the Clippers, he wants to be able to flip that for another All-Star level guard that he could replace James Harden with,” Wojnarowski said.
Wojnarowski added that the stalemate could drag on well past the start of the regular season:
“This thing may be slow going well into the season,” Wojnarowski said.
Harden reported to Sixers training camp, albeit late, after skipping the team’s media day. However, he did not suit up in either of Philly’s first two preseason games due to personal reasons. It remains to be seen if the disgruntled star guard will be available for the team’s next preseason game on Monday against Brooklyn.
Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.8 3-pointers per game on 44.1% shooting over 58 games last season.
LA Clippers gauging value of 2028 first-round pick in hopes of expediting James Harden trade talks
At this point, it appears that the LA Clippers are the only team in serious trade talks for James Harden. Harden has made it clear that LA is his top trade destination. Meanwhile, the Clippers need extra guard depth to bolster their roster around star wings Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. However, with limited trade assets at their disposal, the Clippers have been unable to land Harden thus far. The team may have a solution, though, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
During his same appearance on NBA Today, Wojnarowski said that the Clippers have been gauging the value of their 2028 first-round pick around the league. Wojnarowski said that the team is doing so in hopes of landing additional assets to be able to swing a deal for Harden:
“The Clippers have spent the last couple weeks talking to teams around the league about their own 2028 unprotected first-round pick and potentially maybe another pick swap they have to see what value that has with other teams,” Wojnarowski said.
“Where teams who have lots of first-round picks or who are gonna be star hunting and think that has great value in a trade, can they get two first-round picks for that? Can they get maybe one unprotected, one protected pick? Because teams might gamble that they don't think the Clippers will be very good in 2028. That pick could have a lot of value.”
Wojnarowski added that the Clippers are expected to report back to Philly regarding what they can get in return for their pick. LA will then see if that haul is enough to land Harden before pulling the trigger on any deal:
“You talk to those teams, they expect the Clippers now, very soon, to go back to Philadelphia, to go back to Daryl Morey, and run some of these scenarios by him and see if any of these trades interest them, where some collection of those picks is valued more by Philadelphia than just that 2028 pick,” Wojnarowski said.
It remains to be seen if the Clippers will be successful in their pursuit of Harden. However, it appears that the team is still as determined as ever to land the disgruntled veteran.
