NBA Rumors: James Harden 'Ideally' Wants New Clippers Contract in 2024 Free Agency
Impending free agent guard James Harden reportedly would like to return to the Los Angeles Clippers.
"Ideally, Harden wants to re-sign with the Clippers this offseason, league sources told HoopsHype. The 10-time All-Star has enjoyed playing close to home, near his family, and remained a high-level player with the Clippers in his first season with the franchise," Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported Saturday.
The feeling is mutual, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, who wrote Friday that "the organization's goal remains to re-sign free agents Paul George and James Harden alongside of [Kawhi Leonard], sources said."
Harden averaged 16.6 points, 8.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds for the 51-win Clippers, who finished with the Western Conference's No. 4 seed. L.A.'s season ended Friday with a Game 6 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Harden joined the Clippers via trade from the Philadelphia 76ers in October and became the team's floor general, ceding the primary scoring roles to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
The team impressed at times in the regular season, but they took a big hit in the playoffs when Kawhi Leonard was sidelined due to right knee inflammation.
The Clippers clearly want to run it back. When healthy, the Leonard-Harden-George trio will be a formidable threat. The issue is health, as Leonard and George have both been sidelined at various points during their Clippers tenure, which dates back to 2019.
This season was mostly encouraging, though, with Leonard playing 68 games (his most since 2016-17) and George suiting up for 74.
If the Clippers' stars can avoid bad luck with injuries, and Harden and George return, then this team should remain a Western Conference contender.
For now, though, Harden (and George) are still set to be free agents. We'll see what transpires soon enough with free agency beginning in less than two months.
