Philadelphia 76ers forced into brutal roster call after James Harden trade
The Philadelphia 76ers were forced to waive veteran guard Danny Green in order to finalise the trade that sent James Harden to the LA Clippers.
On Monday night, the Clippers acquired 10-time All-Star Harden in a blockbuster trade with the 76ers. Philadelphia sent Harden, P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev to LA in exchange for Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nic Batum, KJ Martin, a 2028 unprotected first-round pick, two second-round picks, a 2029 pick swap and an additional first-round pick that will be collected from a third team.
The Sixers brutally had to cut Green to create enough roster space to complete the trade, leaving the NBA champion in the cold. However, Harden - who has been pushing to move to his hometown LA all offseason - has got his way.
The Clippers will partner Harden with All-Star forwards Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as well as former MVP Russell Westbrook. This will be the third franchise that Harden and Westbrook have played with each other on after their time together with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets.
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Back in August, Harden launched a stunning tirade aimed at 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey as the guard laid bare his grievances amid a collapsed trade move to the LA Clippers. He insisted he ‘will never play’ under Morey again, leading to an NBA investigation into the situation.
The 76ers had reportedly informed Harden that the franchise had not found a suitable trade partner and expected him to report to training camp in September. The Clippers and Sixers engaged in a number of talks but failed to agree to a deal.
The Clippers and 76ers began talking again on a trade over the weekend as it became increasingly difficult for Harden to be reintegrated back into the Sixers' lineup, according to ESPN. Philadelphia believe the picks acquired for Harden gives the franchise a shot at pursuing another premier guard to team with Tyrese Maxey and reigning MVP Joel Embiid as they pursue an NBA championship.
James Harden and Joel Embiid led the 76ers to the Eastern Conference Semifinals where they fell to the Boston Celtics (Getty Images)The last few years have been difficult for Harden. He starred on the Rockets for years before he requested a trade in 2021, joining the Brooklyn Nets alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
The pressure of leading an expectant franchise to glory saw the trio buckle and ultimately fail, leading Harden to force through a trade to the 76ers in February 2022. He wanted the move to Philadelphia due to his strong professional and personal relationship with Morey, which quickly deteriorated and led to his desire to join the Clippers.
Harden grew up in Southern California and starred at Artesia High School in Lakewood. He has been one of the league's top players for the past decade, winning three scoring titles and the 2018 league MVP award while he led the NBA in assists last season.
Harden played in 58 regular season contests for the 76ers last season, averaging 21.0 points and 10.7 assists as Philadelphia lost to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. His 2-1 Clippers are next in action agains the Orlando Magic on Tuesday 31 October.
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