We formally have our first late-night Woj Bomb of the 2023-24 season, and it places to an finish one of many saddest and strangest commerce sagas in NBA historical past, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported early Tuesday morning on the East Coast that the Philadelphia 76ers are lastly, mercifully sending perpetually disgruntled All-Star and commerce demand fanatic James Harden to the LA Clippers.
This grants Harden’s want to find yourself in his most well-liked vacation spot of Los Angeles — months after opting into his contract, instantly demanding a commerce and calling his normal supervisor a liar to presumably confused kids at a sneaker occasion in China — whereas the Clippers will ship again Marcus Morris, Nic Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, a number of picks and a decide swap to amass Harden, PJ Tucker and Filip Petrusev, per Woj.
This deal comes lower than every week after the Clippers reportedly pulled out of talks, and simply 5 days after the Sixers (in)famously stopped Harden from boarding their workforce flight to Milwaukee for his or her season opener, a second when looking back it seems the writing was on the wall.
That the Clippers had been capable of maintain Terance Mann out of the deal needs to be thought-about a win for them, as his inclusion was one thing the Sixers had been preventing for up till this week.
Whether or not preserving him alongside Tucker and Harden can vault L.A. into true title rivalry at this stage of Harden’s profession (and with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George’s in depth histories of accidents and playoff collapses) stays to be seen. But it surely does give them doubtlessly as much as 4 stars — Harden, Leonard, George and “TOILETS!!!” — for after they open up their new enviornment in Inglewood subsequent season.
For the Sixers, this ends a really awkward period, as they now at the least now not need to anonymously wonder if or not Harden even is aware of their performs earlier than he was set to doubtlessly debut for the workforce this week after sitting out their first three video games.
Additionally seemingly making this swap simpler to finalize for Philadelphia was Tyrese Maxey profitable Japanese Convention Participant of the Week after averaging 30.3 factors, 6.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists in his first three video games on the helm of the workforce in Harden’s ongoing absence, which may have made everybody concerned notice they had been higher off with out a seemingly disengaged Harden again within the combine in any capability, and may simply take what they might get for him — Mann or no Mann — and put this doomed period behind them.
Will this return — and the Sixers’ cap house plans subsequent summer season — be sufficient to maintain reigning MVP Joel Embiid blissful in Philadelphia long-term? We gained’t know the reply for some time.
However for as we speak, we at the least don’t need to get any extra updates on what planes James Harden is or isn’t on, and may let this unhappy rigamarole come to an finish.
This breaking information story could also be up to date with extra info because it continues to develop. And for all of your additional Sixers evaluation wants, take a look at our mates over at Liberty Ballers.
