Clippers Still Working Hard To Trade For James Harden

The LA Clippers are still working hard to find a deal that would allow them to trade for James Harden. That detail may explain why Harden is yet to be the disruptive presence many believed he would be during training camp. "League sources say Harden also is taking part because he remains hopeful that a trade to the Clippers is still in the works and believes, for now, that it would be wise to not be a distraction. And the Clippers, league sources say, are going to great lengths to make it happen. League sources say the Clippers have been talking to several teams about ways to move pick swaps for additional draft capital with the intention of bolstering their offer and getting a deal done," Sam Amick and Shams Charania reported for The Athletic.

Furthermore, the report shed some light on what sort of compensation the Sixers are looking for from the Clippers. The Sixers reportedly rejected an unprotected first, a pick swap, and salary compensation for Harden. Instead, the current counter-offer appears to be Terance Mann and multiple firsts. This would explain why the Clippers were looking to involve a third team. Mann had 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game last season.

Clippers Refocus On Harden After Missing Out On Holiday

The resurgence of interest from the Clippers reportedly comes after the team missed out on trading for Jrue Holiday. The Portland Trail Blazers traded Jrue Holiday to the Boston Celtics for two first-round picks, Robert Williams III, and Malcolm Brogdon. The first-round picks are the Warriors' 2024 pick and the Celtics' 2029 pick, which is unprotected. Williams III was the 27th overall pick in 2018 and had 8.3 rebounds a game last season. Meanwhile, Brogdon was drafted in 2016 and traded to the Celtics in 2022. He had 14.9 points per game last season. Holiday, who had 19.3 points and 7.4 assists last season, will likely become the Celtics' starting point guard in place of Derrick White.

Holiday's time in Portland only lasted a couple of days, although that was to be expected. Holiday was one of the pieces that moved around the league during the Damian Lillard trade. However, the Blazers made it clear that Holiday was still on the trade block as the team was happy with its complement of young guards. Now he will continue his journey in Boston as part of a Celtics team that has built themselves into a serious Eastern Conference favorite. Earlier in the offseason, the Celtics dealt with the Washington Wizards for a new starting center in Kristaps Porziņģis.

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