Here is, broadly, what we all understand the state of play to be on a James Harden trade to the Los Angeles Clippers: Harden wants L.A., L.A. wants Harden, and because no one else seems interested in bringing him on board, so the Clippers don’t want to offer anything and everything, which most notably includes Terance Mann, who the Sixers really want.
Harden escalated things a bit on Wednesday by not showing up to practice, and it’s unclear if or when he’ll start showing up ahead of the start of the season next week. It’s a messy situation that seems to be at a bit of a stalemate, something that Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported in the aftermath of Harden’s no-show. And in a piece by Sam Amick of The Athletic on Wednesday evening, we learned that Sixers executive Daryl Morey is questioning just how badly the Clippers want to get a Harden trade across the finish line.
Despite the Sixers indicating that they would accept an offer of a Clippers’ unprotected first-round pick, first-round pick swap, players to match the salaries and Mann, two people involved in the negotiations say Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank reiterated the team’s stance that Mann would not be part of their offer. Morey, those people say, expressed his disbelief and accused the Clippers of being “unserious” about getting a deal done.
The Clippers will begin their season on Oct. 25 against the Portland Trail Blazers, while the Sixers will begin theirs on Oct. 26 against the Milwaukee Bucks. It’s unclear if trade talks will ramp up in the days leading up to the beginning of the year.