Matthew Adams
Managing Editor
James Harden requested a trade again from another organization. Oct. 25 marks another date that journeyman has requested a trade, according to Forbes, with Harden picking his player option worth $35.6 million.
This would prompt the Philadelphia 76ers to trade Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers 3 and a half months later. The trade sent Harden to Los Angeles for veteran forward Nicholas Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, Marcus Morris Sr., and a plethora of draft picks.
This trade comes after many liar accusations directed towards Daryl Morey, President of Basketball Operations of the Philadelphia 76ers. On multiple occasions, Harden has addressed Morey as a liar.
This soured the relationship and therefore action was taken. Harden now joins a stacked roster with the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook.
Leaving the Nets Harden averaged 23.4 points per game, 10.5 assists per game, and 8.2 rebounds per game. Harden played for the Nets for two seasons but wouldn’t see much success there.
Ronald Jones, Jr., a senior Criminal Justice/Correctional major from Madison, Mississippi felt that this was a huge trade. Jones states, “The James Harden trade sends shockwaves through the NBA, redefining team rosters and stirring anticipation for the impact this bold move will have on the league’s balance of power.”
Harden is best known for the strides he made with the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder. For Houston, Harden was the contributor both as a point guard and as a shooting guard.
During his time with the Rockets Harden was able to matriculate through the playoffs with quite a few rough patches as teams in the West were at an all-time high. This was the period of time when the Golden State Warriors were at peak performance.
During his stint with Oklahoma City, he was a part of the “Big Three” which consisted of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. They were able to propel past competition and make it to the Finals in 2012. They would be forced to contend with the Miami Heat.
The Heat assembled a team that would subdue the “Big Three” and win the 2012 NBA Finals. This would be a turning point for Harden as he would be traded a couple of years later to the Houston Rockets.
After years of being a Rocket, Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2020. This would reunite him with Kevin Durant who was with him on Oklahoma Thunder. There was also the addition of Kyrie Irving who would come to the team by way of the Boston Celtics.
This trade sent shockwaves throughout the NBA but would crumble within years. According to ESPN, Harden had dealt with some rough patches with the Nets.
Harden states, “I was in a really good place in Houston. Obviously, we didn’t have a chance to win a championship, but I was comfortable. So for me to up and leave my family, all the things I created there, to come to Brooklyn for a year and a half to try to just get up and leave, it was for a reason, you know what I mean? But I’m happy for the organization and what they’ve got back. They got some really good pieces.”
With this new addition, the Clippers look to be a better team with the addition of HArden but have been lackluster at best. In the past six games, the Los Angeles Clippers have lost all six games.
A majority of the games are lost by small margins. The Clippers face off against the Houston Rockets during the in-season tournament on Nov. 17, 2023.
