Late last night, the Philadelphia 76ers agreed on a trade to send 10x All-Star guard James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers, per Adrian Wojnarowski. What was supposed to happen months ago has finally happened. James Harden is now officially a Clipper. So what does this mean now?
First, the Full Trade summary:
Clippers get - James Harden, PJ Tucker, Filip Petrusev
Sixers get - Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, 2024 and a 2029 second-round pick from Clippers, protected 2026 first-round pick from Thunder
Thunder get - 2027 first-round pick from Clippers
Is this a good trade? Definetly. They acquired Harden without giving up George, Kawhi, Westbrook, Powell, Mann, Zubac, and Hyland. To keep your top guys to get a NBA star is a steal. It was a little sad seeing Morris, Batum, Covington, and KJ go but it's just business and it makes sense. Morris is on the final year of his contract and Clippers we're looking to trade him anyway. Batum was tough giving up but if it's necessary to move him to get Harden then it's a good sacrifice to make. Covington was also a tough loss but like Batum, it's a good sacrifice. And KJ was young and a great off-season acquisition but this needed to happen. Clippers lost some good depth but are looking even better than before for sure. To acquire a third star is huge. They are now expected to roll with a Westbrook, Harden, George, Kawhi, Zubac Starting Lineup. Scary.
Of course James Harden, 34, is not what he used to be but he's definitely still got it. Last season, he averaged 21 PPG, 6.1 REB, 10.7 AST at age 33 with a stacked 76ers lineup. If we can get that or something near that with the Clippers this season, it will be a huge contribution. Especially with George and Kawhi getting injured a lot, it's good to have another star to keep the team looking strong. Harden is a former MVP, 10x All-Star, 3x NBA scoring champ, 2x Assists leader, 6x All NBA First-Team, and more.
PJ Tucker is also a nice addition, however, he's 38 years old. His offense isn't the best anymore but his defense is still pretty solid. Some defense for the Clippers never hurts. PJ never received any defensive awards but many argue he should have.
Filip Petrušev was the third guy Clippers acquired. Supposedly it's TBD if the Clippers will keep him. He's a late 2021 2nd round pick who has only played in 1 NBA game. He was only added in the trade package so the 76ers make some room for the 4 guys they received from the Clippers.
So that's the trade. This should receive a trade grade: "A" for both the Clippers and the 76ers. Clippers get a third star without giving up valuable assets, and 76ers received a nice amount for a player who refused to play for them.
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