Report: Sixers, Clippers Ownership Told GMs to Get James Harden Deal Done After NBA Inquiries

It didn’t take long for the 76ers and Clippers to pull off a James Harden trade. Only about six months.

That’s a joke, as NBA deals usually take a week, or less. Otherwise, teams tend to nix them. And the Clippers did pause talks on a potential trade for Harden to focus on the start of the season.

But then ownership of both the Sixers and Clippers stepped in, per veteran NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson.

Now, Harden is with the Clippers, as he sat on the sidelines and watched his new team beat the Magic on Tuesday.

Per Robinson, things heated up when the Sixers prohibited Harden from boarding the team flight for the two-game trip to start the season. That followed a stretch where Harden skipped more than a week of practice.

Robinson cited a source in detailing the timeline that followed:

• On Friday, the NBA told the Sixers to get the Harden situation handled, and to do it quickly.
• Later that night, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey restarted Harden trade talks with the Clippers.
• The next day, the Clippers’ front office “plays hardball,” telling the 76ers they want more than Harden.
• As negotiations continued, Robinson reported other NBA owners complained to Sixers owner Josh Harris to “stop obsessing over his NFL team (Washington Commanders) and pay attention to his NBA team.”
• Then on Sunday, Morey made a counteroffer to the Clippers. Later that night, the NBA spoke with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer to find out if LA’s interest in Harden was “legitimate,” Robinson reported.
• The following morning, both Harris and Ballmer told their lead basketball executives to finalize a trade, per Robinson.
• On Monday night, ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski was told that a Harden trade was just about finished — so he decided not to board a flight to Los Angeles to break the story, Robinson wrote. Wojnarowski did indeed break the news, at about 2 a.m. Eastern.
• Robinson added: “Sixers and Clippers agree to deal, Woj is kicked out of airport lounge since he missed his flight and goes home. Morey goes to bed around 4 a.m. EST.”

And with that, Harden got his wish, and the Sixers probably got theirs, too. It just may have taken a major push for it to happen.

James Harden-Clippers-76ers trade timeline per source:

Thursday: NBA tells Sixers they are investigating why Harden was kicked off team flight and wasnt playing in national TV game

Friday: NBA tells Sixers to rectify Harden situation ASAP.

Friday night: Morey restarts… pic.twitter.com/uQxpMr0LdK

— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) November 1, 2023