As teams with NBA title ambitions in Milwaukee and Boston fortified their rosters in recent weeks and days, the Clippers arrived at training camp with a roster virtually unchanged from the end of last season. That began to change late Monday, when after months of discussions with Philadelphia, the Clippers and 76ers began to move toward finalizing a trade that would see All-Star guard James Harden land in Los Angeles, according to people with knowledge of the discussions not authorized to disclose them publicly. In addition to Harden, the Clippers are receiving P.J. Tucker, a 38-year-old defensive stalwart forward and career 36% three-point shooter.
The cost: Future draft picks, and trading away Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris Sr. and Robert Covington — their trio of veteran forwards, all on expiring contracts — as well as young forward Kenyon Martin Jr., who was acquired from Houston during the offseason. The draft picks represented perhaps the most important element in getting traction on the deal. The Clippers will send Philadelphia their 2028 first-round pick, another first-round pick routed from another team that has yet to be identified, two future second-round picks and a pick swap. Terms of the deal were confirmed by the person briefed on the trade discussions. Philadelphia was said to desire a pair of future first-round picks, with the intent of turning around and using them to bolster their own roster.
The Clippers sought to keep Terance Mann, the former second-round pick who had developed into a starter this season, out of the deal and ultimately succeeded. Mann has yet to make his season debut while recovering from an ankle injury; in the new iteration of the roster, the 27-year-old would in all certainty play off of the bench. The move was made with obvious championship intentions — the hope of team owner Steve Ballmer and team president Lawrence Frank that Harden’s future Hall of Fame credentials and playmaking would complement Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to bring the Clippers their long-sought first NBA title and excite their fan base as the team prepares to move into their new arena in Inglewood next season. Leonard and George have long been supportive of such a move, and Harden and starting guard Russell Westbrook have previously played together in Oklahoma City and Houston. How four future Hall of Fame players, all of whom have been the focal points of a team’s offense at various points in their careers, mesh within an isolation-heavy offense will become one of the NBA’s most unknown subplots.
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