NBA Trade Rumors: James Harden, Tucker to Clippers; RoCo, Draft Picks, More to 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers traded disgruntled guard James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday in a deal involving seven players and multiple draft picks.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers are sending Harden, P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev to the Clippers for Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nicolas Batum, KJ Martin, a 2028 unprotected first-round pick, two second-round picks and a 2029 pick swap. Wojnarowski also reported the Sixers would waive Danny Green to open a roster spot to complete the trade.

Additionally, the Clippers are trading a 2027 first-round pick swap to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a protected 2026 first-round pick, which will be sent to Philadelphia as part of the deal, per Wojnarowski. It was also reported that the second-round picks the Sixers are receiving are in 2024 and 2029.

Harden had been adamant about forcing a trade out of Philadelphia ever since exercising his $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season, citing a fallout with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. The 2017-18 NBA MVP called Morey a "liar" during an Adidas promotional event in China.

"Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he's a part of," Harden said in August. "Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he's a part of."

While Harden did not outwardly say it, the falling out stems from last summer when Harden took a $14.3 million pay cut to remain with the Sixers. The move allowed the Sixers to stay under the salary-cap apron while adding Tucker and Danuel House Jr. to the roster.

It also appeared to be a pretty blatant quid pro quo, with Harden taking a temporary cut in salary and the Sixers seemingly wink-winking about lavishing him with a max contract this summer. The NBA docked the Sixers two second-round picks for negotiating with Tucker and House before the free-agency window began.

One issue: The Sixers never paid up when it was time to hold up their end of the bargain. Instead, Morey balked at giving a declining Harden his desired payday and blew up a decade-long relationship in the process. Morey had long been Harden's biggest public advocate, dating back to their days with the Houston Rockets, but he seemingly no longer has faith in the future Hall of Famer's ability to anchor a championship team.

With that said, Morey was also adamant about not trading Harden for less than what he was worth.

What transpired afterward was the Sixers' second standoff with a star player in the last three seasons. Much like he did in refusing to give away Ben Simmons, Morey stood his ground and did not flinch at potential awkwardness between the organization and Harden.

Harden skipped media day and then the first day of training camp practice to express his displeasure with the situation. He also wasn't with the team for the start of the regular season and has yet to appear in a game this season.

"He continues to seek a trade, and we're working with his representation to resolve that in the best way for the 76ers and for all parties," Morey told reporters.

The Sixers had plenty of leverage in the situation as well, given they could have prevented Harden from signing with any professional basketball organization next summer if he withheld his services for more than 30 days.

In the end, Morey was able to get the package of players he wanted while maintaining the Sixers' flexibility moving forward.

The Clippers will now attempt to build around Harden, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, a trio of Los Angeles-area stars who have carried their fair share of criticism in recent seasons.