During an interview with NBA reporter Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, Paul George said the Los Angeles Clippers‘ higher-ups asked him, Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook if they should trade for James Harden.
Harden requested a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers and wanted to get traded to the Clippers.
“Management came to the three of us, let us know what was going on and asked about it, and we all said ‘do it.’ We wanted it,” George said. “We thought James’ game would fit. Yeah, it was a little rough at first, but we settled into it, everyone sacrificing to make it fit. It just worked. … Everybody has sacrificed. It wasn’t something that had to be asked. We knew what we had to do.”
The Clippers started the Harden era 0-5. It looked like they made a mistake trading for The Beard.
However, Leonard, George, Harden and Westbrook figured things out and now the Clippers are one of the best teams in the NBA.
LAC is 33-15 with Harden in the lineup. Harden is averaging 17.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 8.4 assists with the Clippers while shooting 45.0% from the field, 42.1% from beyond the arc and 87.4% from the free-throw line.
“We’re representing L.A. All of us grew up around the city and the area, were tied to it, and want to rep it,” George said. “This is Los Angeles basketball, we feel a real pride in showing that.”
The Clippers are 36-17 on the season. They are in third place in the Western Conference standings.
According to NBA insider Howard Beck of The Ringer, the Clippers are expected to go all out to keep George and Harden regardless of how they fare in the 2024 playoffs.
George can become an unrestricted free agent this offseason if he declines his 2024-25 player option, while Harden will become a free agent since he’s in the final year of his contract.
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