James Harden has been traded four times in his career, tying him for the most traded former MVP in league history. The exceptionally gifted guard, who is known for ditching his team if things fall apart, was finally granted his wish when the Philadelphia 76ers traded him to his preferred team, the Los Angeles Clippers.
Harden, with his big beard, is a prolific scorer with the potential to dictate the game’s outcome. While the loss of such an experienced player may have devastating consequences for the Philadelphia 76ers, a prominent NBA analyst has strongly suggested the opposite.
Tim Legler pronounces Sixers triumph in James Harden deal
A future Hall of Famer James Harden had requested a trade away from the Philadelphia 76ers back in June as a result of a contract extension dispute. Amidst the imminent official announcement of Harden’s trade to the Clippers, ESPN’s Tim Legler took the first bite in disclosing his view on the impact of the trade on the 76ers’ season.
Legler’s disclosure was made known on X by Clutch points with the caption, “This entire thing is so much less about the Clippers, this is all about Philly in my mind… [The Sixers] got better… this is the 3rd best team in the Eastern Conference… The black cloud has been lifted.” Tim Legler believes that James Harden is more useful to the 76ers than he is to the Clippers, and he predicts that Embiid will perform better following Harden’s departure than he did in the playoffs, for which he also shares blame.
Legler added, “James Harden was a guy that dramatically affected Joel Embiid’s demeanor, body language, and frustration.” And Legler believes that the franchise has enough talent on its roster to surprise the entire NBA season.
James Harden, P.J. Tucker made grand entrance into Clippers territory
P.J. Tucker was among the 76ers’ stars traded to the Clippers alongside James Harden. Though the trade’s official announcement is imminent, P.J. Tucker and James Harden had earlier made a grand entrance into the Clippers’ environment.
As soon as the duo alighted from their SUV at the Crypto.com Arena loading dock, they were greatly welcomed by the Clippers, including Harden’s former teammate Russell Westbrook.
Clippers’ president Lawrence Frank was on the ground to also welcome the newly recruited stars as he walked them into the team’s locker room, where franchise owner Steve Ballmer soon joined in the moment by offering a handshake.
Nevertheless, since everyone is anticipating the trade’s official announcement, Coach Ty Lue and the Clippers’ stars like Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook are refusing to air their opinions on the trade. Russell Westbrook, who is a longtime partner with James Harden couldn’t help but smile when he was asked about the trade after their recent victory over the Magic with a scoreline of 118-102. Westbrook said, “Right now, James and P.J. off-limits. I got nothing for you until it’s official.” Between the 76ers and the Clippers, who do you think will benefit from James Harden’s trade more? Share your thoughts in the comment box.
