The Los Angeles Clippers want to see what they have. Sure, it’s year five of the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George era, but does anyone know how good this team can be? Is this team good enough to invest more in right now? Or does one look at this team on the court scream, “pivot now and go another direction?” With both stars healthy to start the season, the Clippers want to take a breath, see some games, and get a sense of what they have.
Considering all that and the stalemate in negotiations, the Clippers are hitting the pause button on their pursuit of James Harden, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on ESPN’s NBA Countdown.
“I’m told that with the start of the season now, at least for the foreseeable future, the Clippers are stepping back from these trade talks about James Harden, they are essentially pausing them. They have talked with Philadelphia for months about a trade. They’ve made their best offer for Harden, and they are now gonna start their season and see what this team looks like with a healthy Kawhi Leonard, a healthy Paul George. Now, the Clippers may revisit this at some point. But they know they’re the only bidder for James Harden. They’re the only team that’s made a serious offer. They don’t want to bid against themselves.”
This news comes on the same day Harden returned to Philadelphia 76ers practice. However, after missing much of the preseason and being away from the team for 10 days, Harden will not join the team on its two-game road trip — Milwaukee Thursday and Toronto Sunday — and instead will work out with the team’s training staff for a return possibly during the following homestand.
The biggest hangup on the trade talks appears to be whether the Clippers include Terance Mann in the deal. The 76ers want him because reportedly they can flip Mann into another first-round pick (and then use those picks to try and trade for an All-Star level player to put next to Joel Embiid). Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said Mann isn’t going anywhere, and he will start for the Clippers opening night.
The Clippers may not be in a rush, but this is also a public negotiation tactic. If 76ers president Daryl Morey called up his Clippers counterpart Lawrence Frank right now and said “We’ll take your offer,” the deal would be done before the end of the day. Frank and his staff saw what happened today in Philly — Harden showing up with his bags packed ready for the road trip and being told “Why don’t you stay here?” — and are enjoying the show. Los Angeles doesn’t feel the pressure. The vibe around this team is not stressed, and they are not looking to the outside for help. They like the roster they have.
The Clippers have been the lone serious suitor for Harden and if they pull out of the running, even temporarily, this saga could drag on a lot deeper into the season. Harden being a Sixer as the trade deadline approaches in February is not out of the question unless some dynamic changes these negotiations.
As of now, there are no negotiations.