NBA world goes up in flames as 76ers grant James Harden’s wish and send him to Clippers

Months after point guard James Harden requested a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers, the team finally granted his wish.

The 76ers dealt him to the Los Angeles Clippers early Tuesday morning in exchange for Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, K.J. Martin and multiple draft picks.

The NBA world has since reacted to the news of Harden landing with the Clippers.

The trade might end up as a win for the Clippers, considering they didn’t have to give up any of Bones Hyland, Norman Powell, Russell Westbrook, Ivica Zubac or Terance Mann in the deal and also acquired P.J. Tucker, who is a great defender at the forward position.

The 76ers received a quality package for Harden too. Batum, Covington, Morris and Martin all project to be fighting for minutes in head coach Nick Nurse’s rotation. Plus, the team also acquired some draft capital which could be used in future trades.

Harden is joining a Clippers team that has had a productive start to the 2023-24 regular season. The team owns a 2-1 record with wins over the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 25 and San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 29.

The Clippers were dominant in their win over the Spurs, seeing as how they won by 40 points. Clippers star wing Kawhi Leonard scored a team-high 21 points in the victory.

Star big man Joel Embiid and the Sixers are playing solid basketball to start the season as well. They are also 2-1 and have won their last two games after losing to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks by one point in their regular-season opener. Philadelphia’s two wins have come against the Toronto Raptors and Trail Blazers.

The Clippers should be perceived as one of the best teams in the Western Conference after acquiring Harden. The Clippers should be able to win plenty of games during the regular season, and if Paul George and Leonard can avoid the injury bug, the team has the talent to make a run at the 2024 NBA title in the spring.