NBA Rumors: Clippers Tried to Trade for James Harden, Bradley Beal to Join Kawhi

As the Los Angeles Clippers made a push to land Kawhi Leonard in free agency this offseason, they inquired about Houston Rockets star James Harden and Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal, according to The Athletic's Jovan Buha and Sam Amick.

However, neither Harden nor Beal was made available for trade by his respective club. 

L.A. then acquired Southern California native Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Harden is coming off back-to-back scoring titles, averaging a career-high 36.1 points per game last season. He won his first NBA MVP Award in the 2017-18 season while leading Houston to within one game of the NBA Finals.

The duo of Harden and Chris Paul made the Rockets top contenders the past two seasons, but Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill reported in June that the relationship between the two stars had become "unsalvageable." Houston general manager Daryl Morey said on The Dan Patrick Show that he did not envision dealing either star. However, the George trade meant 2016-17 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook became available from OKC—and Morey opted to swap Paul for Westbrook to reunite Harden with a former teammate.

Meanwhile, Washington views the 26-year-old Beal as part of its future. General manager Tommy Sheppard said on ESPN's The Jump on Monday that the team intends to offer the two-time All-Star a max three-year, $111 million contract Friday:

Fortunately for the Clippers, George was available for trade—and that was enough to entice Leonard to sign.