76ers trade James Harden to Clippers

Feb 25, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden (1) brings the ball up court against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

According to Rogers Sportsnet on Tuesday, the Philadelphia 76ers have traded guard James Harden of Los Angeles, California to the Los Angeles Clippers. In addition to Harden, the Clippers receive power forward PJ Tucker of Raleigh, North Carolina, and rookie center Filip Petrusev of Belgrade, Serbia. Meanwhile, the 76ers receive forward Marcus Morris of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, power forward Nic Batum of Lisieux, France, power forward Robert Covington of Bellwood, Illinois, small forward Kenyon Martin of Gardena, California, a first round pick of 2028, and two second round picks. There will also be a pick swap.

The Clippers are the fifth team for Harden. He has previously played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. In 2022-23, Harden averaged 21 points per game, a NBA high 10.7 assists per game, 6.1 rebounds per game, 1.2 steals per game, a field goal percentage of .441, three-point percentage of .385, and free throw percentage of .867.

Morris is joining his seventh NBA franchise. He previously played for the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Clippers. In 2022-23, he averaged 11.2 points per game, four rebounds per game, 1.8 assists per game, and had a field goal percentage of .426, three-point percentage of .364, and a free throw percentage of .782.

Martin is joining his third NBA franchise after the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers. Last year with the Rockets, Martin averaged 12.7 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, 1.5 assists per game, and had a field goal percentage of .569, three point percentage of .315, and free throw percentage of .680.

The Harden deal comes as zero surprise. This transaction had been widely anticipated for a while, as Harden has been disgruntled in Philadelphia. The trade reunites Harden with point guard Russell Westbrook of Long Beach, California. The two future Hall of Famers were teammates with the Thunder from 2009 to 2012, and with the Rockets from 2019 to 2020.

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