As the start of the NBA regular season approaches, it's been reported the Clippers rejected an updated deal for James Harden. According to Nick Wright, the Clippers were offered the former MVP for Terance Mann, a first-round pick and a swap of another first-round pick, after L.A. rejected this offer, it killed any momentum that either team had for a deal. This caused Harden to be a no-show at practice yesterday.
While the source is from a talk show host who isn't really in the breaking news business, it seems like the actual truth isn't so far from this report. This is due to the fact that Shams Charania reported that the Sixers and Clippers reached a stopping point with the reasoning being that the Clippers didn't want to give up another first-round pick in the deal.
Will the Sixers finally cave in to the Clippers' lower offer for James Harden?
To be quite honest, it's hard to see a world where the Sixers are able to get anything that they could want. Yes, Daryl Morey could hold on to James Harden for as long as possible but no other team in the association will get the neccesary assets to get the deal. Due to the fact that the all-star really wants to go to L.A and he is a free agent after next season, it's hard to find a front office that gives up more assets than the Clippers.
It also matters that no other team in the league is as desperate as the Clippers are right now. Most likely, no other team in the league is willing to give Harden a big long-term extension because he is aging rapidly. Additionally, the former MVP has sought a long-term max deal which has a 99 percent chance of being a bad deal in year three and four of the contract.
